TNAG-1536-FCO40-2100-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-refugees-resettlement-in-third-countri-1986 — Page 39

CONFIDENTIAL

The US

Government's

attitude

to the Report will be important for Hong Kong, since we understand that there remain only a few hundred refugees in the camps in Hong Kong who are eligible under the present criteria to be resettled in the US. We should like to see the US criteria modified in a way that enables resettlement of refugees from Hong Kong to the US to continue at

at least present annual level of 1600-1800. Since the US takes over 40% of refugees resettled from Hong Kong, any fall in the US intake would have quick and adverse results for Hong Kong.

-

the

7. The US Attorney-General has policy responsibility for immigration into the US, and controls the US Immigration and Naturalisation Service, who determines whether or not an individual may be regarded as a "refugee" under the US Immigration and Naturalisation Act and thus fall within the US refugee programme. The US Attorney General also is empowered to admit individuals into the US outside the normal refugee quota arrangements. In view of these wide powers, it would be grateful if the Attorney General would mention to his US counterpart our continuing concern about the refugee problem in Hong Kong.

CONFIDENTIAT