TNAG-1524-FCO40-2088-Hong-Kong-Parliamentary-Sub-Committee-on-Race-Relations-and--1986 — Page 73

FCO40 Hong Kong Department Records 聯邦事務部香港部檔案 All

JA4AVU

PARLIAMENTARY QUESTIONS BY MR KEITH BEST, MP

General

1.

Mr Best has shown great interest in refugee matters, and i s

Chairman of the British Refugee Council's Committee for Refugees

from Indo-China. He last visited refugee camps เก Hong Kong in

January 1985. Mr Best secured an Adjournment Debate on "South East

Asia (Refugees)" in May 1985, when he referred to several of the

matters raised in the present questions, and spoke in another

adjournment debate that month, on family reunion cases.

Question 31

2.

EXCO decided in 1984 to permit refugees in open centres to

join close relatives in closed centres (to allow moves in the

opposite direction would leave the system open to abuse and would

undermine the closed centre policy).

No application has been

refused.

Question 32

3.

This refers to the diplomatic campaign to encourage other

countries to accept more refugees in response to HMG' s relaxation of

the family reunion criteria, benefitting some 500 refugees in South

East Asia. Some countries have given firm positive responses, and

most others are still considering their position. We continue to

press

them both bilaterally and (through EC and UNHCR) multilaterally, and through UNHCR. We are instructing posts in

resettlement countries to urge their hosts to accept more Vietnamese

refugees from Hong Kong in the light of Hong Kong's recent decision

to absorb more refugees from the Hong Kong camps and to establish

ship rescue transit centre there.

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