TNAG-1536-FCO40-2100-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-refugees-resettlement-in-third-countri-1986 — Page 56

FCO40 Hong Kong Department Records 聯邦事務部香港部檔案 All

CONFIDENTIAL

D) COUNTRIES WHICH HAVE REFUSED TO GIVE A QUOTA BUT WHICH HAVE AGREED TO CONSIDER FAMILY REUNION CASES -

AUSTRIA

30

FRANCE

30

GERMANY

15

BELGIUM

30

105

TOTAL

E) COUNTRIES WE THINK WILL TAKE MORE THIS YEAR IF WE CONTINUE TO

PRESS -

JAPAN

20

NEW ZEALAND

TOTAL

20

40

3. MUCH OF THIS RESETTLEMENT NS DIRECTLY ATTRIBUTABLE TO THE UK *NITIATIVE. BECAUSE WE CANNOT BE CERTAIN HOW THE RESETTLEMENT COUNTRIES WOULD HAVE REACTED WITHOUT IT, WE CANNOT MEASURE PRECISELY WHAT THE RESPONSE TO THE INITIATIVE HAS BEEN. BUT WE CAN

. SAY THAT WITHOUT #T RESETTLEMENT WOULD HAVE BEEN APPRECIABLY LOWER

THAN IT WAS LAST YEAR. IN OTHER WORDS, A STRAIGHT COMPARISON BETWEEN THE 1985 AND 1986 OFFTAKES UNDERESTIMATES THE RESPONSE. LEAVING ASIDE THE QUOTAS ACCEPTED BY THE UK AND HONG KONG, WE WOULD ESTIMATE THE RESPONSE AT AROUND 1,200 PLACES FROM 14 COUNTRIES, PLUS AN INDERTERMINATE BUT SUBSTANTIALLY #NCREASED OFFTAKE TO THE UK.

4. THER CAN BE NO DOUBT THAT THE MITATIVE HAS BEEN A CONSIDERABLE SUCCESS. IN PRACTICAL TERMS IT HAS MEANS THAT WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO CLOSE ONE OF OUR CLOSED CENTRES (CAPE COLLINSON) AND WILL BE ABLE TO CLOSE ONE OF THE OPEN CENTRES (JUBILEE) TOWARDS THE END OF THIS

YEAR.

A SECOND INITIATIVE

5. AS WE HAVE SAID IN EARLIER TELEGRAMS, WE ARE PESSIMISTIC ABOUT RESETTLEMENT FOR NEXT YEAR. BUT A FURTHER COMMITMENT BY HMG WOULD UNDOUBTEDLY STRENGTHEN OUR HAND. WOULD YOU BE WILLING TO CONSIDER A PACKAGE ON THE FOLLOWING LINES

M

A) A CONTINUING COMMITMENT TO TAKE FAMILY REUNION CASES:

B) A RE-EXAMINATION OF QUOTE UK REFUSAL UNQUOTE CASES:

C) AGREEMENT TO TAKE DIFFICULT-TO-RESETTLE CASES AT A RATE OF TEM

A MONTH DURING 1987 ?

6. AS REGARDS (A), UNHCR SAY THAT SINCE 26 SEPTEMBER 1985 ABOUT

20 REFUGEES WHO WOULD QUALIFY FOR RESETTLEMENT IN THE UK BECAUSE

THEY HAVE CLOSE RELATIVES THERE HAVE ARRIVED IN HONG KONG. THUS A

COMMITMENT TO CONTINUE TO TAKE FAMILY REUNION CASES PROBABLY MEANS

ACCEPTING AROUND 30 A YEAR. SUCH A COMMITMENT WOULD PE PARTICULARLY

VALUABLE TO US. REFUGEES WITH CLOSE FAMILY TIES IN THE UK WILL NOT

(NOT) BE ACCEPTED BY OTHER RESETTLEMENT COUNTRIES.

CONFIDENTIAL - 2 –

17.

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