TNAG-1534-FCO40-2098-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-refugees-repatriation-1986 — Page 107

CONFIDENTIAL

resettled).

current

fall

We remain under considerable Parliamentary and public pressure to close down the closed camps. If the fall in their population were to be reversed this would be seized upon as evidence of a callous attitude on the part of HMG. A decline in the pace of resettlement

would increase the

of sense

frustration and thus the

possibility of further disturbances in the camps. The Hong

Government's plans Kong

close down plans progressively to less satisfactory camps as the refugee population

would have to be reconsidered.

the

fell

13.

Finally one implication of a lower level of departures would be that the remaining resettlement programmes would tend to concentrate more exclusively on those refugees who were easiest to resettle. This would make more obvious and more acute the plight of the "hard to resettle" refugees in the open camps (estimated by Hong Kong in January at about

1,500).

Options for future action

C

14.

of

18

April considered

1985

with

its

a

range

of

In his submission

accompanying paper Mr Galsworthy

possible options aimed at resolving Hong Kong's refugee

These options were:

problem.

(a) to reduce the rate of arrivals by

(i) towing newly-arriving boats out to sea;

(ii) involuntary repatriation to Vietnam;

(iii) screening of new arrivals to segregate "economic migrants" from genuine refugees,

the former for eventual

to

identify

repatriation to Vietnam.

CONFIDENTIAL