TNAG-1525-FCO40-2089-Hong-Kong-Parliamentary-Sub-Committee-on-Race-Relations-and--1986 — Page 100

CONFIDENTIAL

SECRETARY OF STATE'S MEETING WITH GENSCHER, 12 APRIL

VIETNAMESE REFUGEES IN HONG KONG

Essential Facts

General

1.

9,100 Vietnamese refugees in Hong Kong awaiting

resettlement; the largest number of any place of first

asylum in

in South East Asia. They are spending increasingly

long periods in Hong Kong because of diminishing

resettlement prospects: over 60% have been there more than 3

years.

Recent Action by HMG

2.

The Government announced in September:

(i) HMG's decision to accept for resettlement some 500 refugees, mostly from Hong Kong, who have

relatives in the UK but who would normally

fall outside the Home Office's criteria for

family reunion cases;

(ii) that, depending on the willingness shown

shown by

other resettlement countries to respond to

Hong Kong's needs, HMG are prepared to

consider accepting further limited numbers

from Hong Kong. The Hong Kong Government

would also be prepared to absorb limited

numbers from the camps. (Hong Kong has agreed

to absorb up to 250 more refugees.)

CONFIDENTIAL