TNAG-1525-FCO40-2089-Hong-Kong-Parliamentary-Sub-Committee-on-Race-Relations-and--1986 — Page 68

CONFIDENTIAL

MRS CHALKER'S VISIT TO PARIS: 28 APRIL

VIETNAMESE REFUGEES IN HONG KONG

Essential Facts

General

1.

Almost 9,000 Vietnamese refugees in Hong Kong awaiting

resettlement; the largest number of any place of first asylum 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) that HMG will 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;

other resettlement

(ii) that,

that, depending on the willingness shown by

countries to respond to

Hong Kong's needs, HMG are prepared to

consider accepting further limited numbers

from Hong

Hong Kong. The Hong Kong Government

would also be prepared to absorb limited

numbers from the camps.

(Hong Kong

agreed to absorb up to 250 more refugees.)

has

CONFIDENTIAL