TNAG-1535-FCO40-2099-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-refugees-repatriation-1986 — Page 36

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DSR 11C

CONFIDENTIAL

closing one refugee camp, reclassifying the inhabitants

and moving them to "displaced persons" camps on the

border, in part to deter further inflows as well as to

step up pressure for the resettlement rate to be

increased.

7. A number of governments, including the American and

Australian have become increasingly concerned to restrict

the availability of resettlement to genuine refugees (as

opposed to economic migrants). In June Australia refused

to accept 67 of 144 persons rescued by a Greek ship as

genuine refugees. Under an agreement between the UNHCR

and the Thai Government, screening of Lao asylum-seekers

has been introduced to determine their true status. The

Lao government has however refused to accept back those

who have been rejected under the screening process. The

situation in Hong Kong appears likely to worsen, as the

selection procedures of several resettlement countries

are rejecting a growing number as not genuine refugees.

Mr David Waddington, Minister of State for the Home

Office, suggested, in Hong Kong in September, that it was

perhaps now time to examine whether those now arriving

could not be more correctly described as "economic

migrants" rather than refugees, and also to consider some

approach to Vietnam on repatriation if the conditions

could be created. If the trend of these developments is

continued, it will produce an increasing number of

unresettleable people in the places of first asylum.

This number will increase the faster if outflows from

:

Indochina continue and if offers of resettlement places

CONFIDENTIAL