TNAG-1523-FCO40-2087-Hong-Kong-Parliamentary-Sub-Committee-on-Race-Relations-and--1986 — Page 85

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LIGHT OF THE WILLINGNESS SHOWN BY OTHER COUNTRIES TO RESPOND TO

HONG KONG'S NEEDS AND OF ALL THE CIRCUMSTANCES AT THE TIME.

RESETTLEMENT OF THE FAMILY REUNION CASES IS ONLY IN ITS INITIAL

STAGES: IT IS TOO EARLY YET TO PREDICT WHAT DECISION HMG WILL

TAKE ON ADMITTING FURTHER REFUGEES.

HONG KONG OFFTAKE

6.

DESPITE ITS SEVERE POPULATION PRESSURES THE POSSIBILITY

OF FURTHER ABSORPTION OF ETHNIC CHINESE FROM CAMPS IN HONG KONG

IS RECEIVING CAREFUL AND SYMPATHETIC CONSIDERATION IN HONG KONG,

AND WE HOPE TO BE ABLE TO RESPOND POSITIVELY IN THE NEAR FUTURE.

AS IS WELL KNOWN AND APPRECIATED BY OTHER COUNTRIES, HONG KONG,

AS A PLACE OF FIRST ASYLUM, HAS ACCOMMODATED 110000 INDO-CHINESE BOAT REFUGEES SINCE 1975 AND HAS ITSELF ACCEPTED 14500 FOR

RESETTLEMENT.

RASRO TRANSIT CENTRE

7.

GRATEFUL FOR UNHCR'S CONFIRMATION THAT IT WOULD FUND ANY

SUCH CENTRE IN HONG KONG. THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT IS GIVING THE

PROPOSAL TO ESTABLISH A CENTRE ACTIVE AND SYMPATHETIC

CONSIDERATION. HOPE TO BE ABLE TO RESPOND POSITIVELY IN THE NEAR

FUTURE.

DIPLOMATIC CAMPAIGN

8.

AS THE HOME SECRETARY INDICATED IN SEPTEMBER, HMG HAS

URGED OTHER COUNTRIES TO ASSIST IN THE RESETTLEMENT PROCESS BY

ALLOCATING MORE PLACES TO REFUGEES IN HONG KONG. WE ARE GRATEFUL

TO THE COUNTRIES WHO HAVE ANNOUNCED INCREASES IN THEIR ALLOCATION

OF RESETTLEMENT PLACES FOR HONG KONG REFUGEES, AND HOPE OTHERS

WILL BE ABLE TO DO SO. GRATEFUL ALSO FOR UNHCR'S APPEAL FOR ALL

GOVERNMENTS TO MAKE SPECIAL RESETTLEMENT EFFORT TO ASSIST HONG

KONG.

HOWE

LIMITED

HKD

UND

SEAD

PS/MR RENTON

PS/PUS

SIR W HARDING

DR WILSON

COPIES TO:

HKGO LONDON

MR RAWSTHORNE, HOME OFFICE

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CONFIDENTIAL