TNAG-1427-FCO40-1910-Vietnamese-refugees-in-Hong-Kong-general-1986 — Page 71

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As my elected representative, you can ask questions of the appropriate department (either the Foreign Office or the Home Office, I suppose) as to what is the future for these children.

I am also told that Britain has agreed to take 500 of these refugees PROVIDED that they have

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relatives in this country. This last proviso does sound like a non-starter how many Vietnamese have we in this country at all? We do have some because I have met them through the Ockenden Venture some of whose Vietnamese children have worked their way into University now.

There are other camps in Hong Kong which are totally closed and I dread to think of the psychological condition of the refugees there. My fear is that these refugees will become forgotten people, especially now that world. attention has been focussed, quite rightly, on starving Ethiopians and Sudanese.

BRITISH PASSPORTS

I have always understood that a British Passport was a very precious and sacrosanct document. I have now heard, and wonder if you can have this point confirmed, that it is possible to purchase one provided a person has the right 'credentials'. These credentials appear to be £150,000 capital plus £150,000 per year income. I was told that due to the changing circumstances of 1997 when Hong Kong is handed over to the Chinese, many of the wealthier Chinese will be obtaining British Passports. I am not trying to take issue as to whether they can have them or not I just never believed a British Passport was FOR SALE.

I would be pleased to receive your comments or those of the appropriate departments in due course and I thank you for your time in investigating.

Yours sincerely

Elizabeth

ELIZABETH GOODRUM

Goodnum