TNAG-1525-FCO40-2089-Hong-Kong-Parliamentary-Sub-Committee-on-Race-Relations-and--1986 — Page 45

CODE 18-77

AWO Ltd. 7/84

J

NRLAKK

CONFIDENTIAL

Ja

H.O.

Reference.....

HKK 243/

206

attempt to claw back

I fear this is part of an H. o. attive rettlement

Mimited Koncession on

limited

MI beek's their

w.P. if a commitment

Mr Leven from rek. fice parady of thew. The allenative is for the

Layden Mr Hum

agost, I

awn inclined &

leave. The

Him to approval to Raworthine / to be saved for biggertimes?,

Нита

REFUGEE ACTION REPORT:

1.

DEFENSIVE LINE

Che 1014

The Refugee Action report, based on a visit to Hong Kong in February by its Chairman (Lord Chitnis) and Director (Ms Meiklejohn), contained a list of recommendations summarised at Annex A to this minute.

2.

We should have a defensive line ready. I suggest this be

as follows for recommendations 1-5:

(1)

As indicated in para 13 of the Government's Reply in September 1985 to the Home Affairs Committee's Report "Refugees and Asylum, with Special Reference to the Vietnamese", such deterrent measures as the closed camps would no longer be necessary if the flow of illegal departures from Vietnam were

reduced to a trickle.

(2) (3) (4) (5)

3.

These are matters for the Hong Kong Government.

(6) is for the Home Office, who provided a defensive response (Annex B). I queried with Mr Kornicki the omission from the last sentence of any qualification (such as ... unable at this stage to enter into..."); he responded that the line had been carefully drafted, and agreed

at Assistant Secretary level (Mr Rawsthorne). Home Office would not like any softening of the last sentence; Mr Kornicki implied that Ministers were sensitive at the rebuke from No 10 over the widening of the family reunion criteria announced in the Government's Reply to SCORRI, and now were embarrassed by the increase from 60 to 200 in the estimated numberofrefugees from other parts of South East Asia (than Hong Kong). The fact that the para 29 of Government's Reply indicates that HMG is prepared to consider accepting

Vietnamese" did not move Mr Kornicki.

further

4.

"

Should we go back to the Home Office on this point, ie to

the need to adhere

the line in the Government's

reiterate Reply?

HAM 24311

RECEIVED IN SEAISToy

- 8 MAY 1986

22 April 198BES

INDEX

f

to

M

DJ Barton

Hong Kong Department

CONFIDENTIAL

I'd be wichined to wait until the firing struts!

оть!

Kauden 2414

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