+
CONFIDENTIAL
UK
Hong Kong, and begin
intake of refugees from
consultations with the countries concerned and with UNHCR
to the Vietnamese
on
possible long-term solutions
refugee
problem in SE Asia.
B
4.
The Secretary of State wrote to the Home Secretary on 15 September. His minute argued that the family reunion
resettlement
continue, even
resettlements
programme
though the
about was
begun
in
Autumn 1985
Office's Home
ceiling
should
of 500
to
damaging hiatus
to avoid be reached, in order
between the end of that
a
programme and an
a
C
announcement
of HMG's decision on whether to accept to
further intake from Hong Kong. In his interim reply, the Home Secretary refused continue to "call forward" family reunion cases from Hong Kong on the grounds that, since 40
refugees had yet to be resettled under this programme,
hiatus envisaged by the Secretary of
should State
the
not
occur.
by
of an internationally agreed
D
5.
of
The Home Secretary has
now replied substantively to
the Secretary
State, indicating
that
any
commitment
HMG
to
resettlement
should
further
be within the
framework
address
the
Vietnamese
initiative
to
refugee problem
in
its
entirety.
that asserted
the
small
number of
to
The Home Secretary has
resettlement places available
other existing commitments
Vietnamese refugees under
those (to accept
who have ties with the UK; and to accept 60 "SCORRI"
from elsewhere
demonstrate
in
South
our
continuing
rescued at sea
cases
East Asia)
could
be
used
to
concern
and
to avoid
the hiatus
referred to by the Secretary of State.
6.
It is apparent that, whilst
that
long a
refugees
is
to the term solution
essential, they do
the Home Office agree
problem
of Vietnamese
not
accept
Our
assessment
that
there
should
be
a
"visible
resettlement
argues
cases
to
the
that
the Home
UK
Secretary's
and continuing flow"
from Hong Kong.
The
of
draft
preferred approach will
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