TNAG-1534-FCO40-2098-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-refugees-repatriation-1986 — Page 114

CONFIDENTIAL

30.

Hong Kong

have proposed

that we

make a

"package"

E

approach to

the

Home Office

(Hong

Te lno

1875),

including family reunion cases,

is

Kong

"hard to resettle" cases,

and "UK refusal" cases (230 refugees deemed to have turned down UK offers of resettlement in 1980-81). Although this

more complex a

have previously complex approach than those we considered it is one that we might also explore with the

from obtain we Office particularly if

but numbers

unable to agreement

agree

criteria to be used to fill them.

Home

as to

can

are

them

an

on

the

31.

t would be sensible to discuss the various options informally with the Home Office before deciding precisely what approach would have the best chance of acceptance. for a new intake Our formal bid should probably then be

but we might very which went beyond family reunion cases:

limited new

based on

have to well

intake or

settle

in

even

no more

the

than

end for a more

compromise a

a

continuation of the current programme.

in the

a

32. In approaching the Home Office on the need for further UK resettlement we should stress that the only way to make a continued impact

is by on Hong Kong's refugee problem resettlement (coupled with increased

continuation of a

deterrent to new

new arrivals,

form of closed camps); and other countries will not resettle more refugees without another exemplary gesture by UK. We should argue that are now in a position to meet the conditions set out in the Government's Reply to SCORRI (para 4 above):

(a) We can now assess the "willingness shown by countries to respond to Hong Kong's

While we may

other

needs" mentioned in the Reply.

not yet know the exact numbers to be taken by all the other countries we have approached, the diplomatic

we

have indications

that

campaign

has

1,000 generated

"new"

places

we

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