TNAG-1536-FCO40-2100-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-refugees-resettlement-in-third-countri-1986 — Page 57

CONFIDENTIAL

7. AS REGARDS (B), DURING 1980 AND 1981 230 REFUGEES WERE DEEMED TO HAVE REFUSED RESETTLEMENT IN THE UK. BECAUSE THEY HAVE REFUSED RESETTLEMENT, NO OTHER COUNTRY WIWL NOW TAKE THEM. SOME HAD THEIR SIGHTS ON A PARTICULAR COUNTRY, AND FAILED TO APPRECIATE THE SIGNIFICANCE OF REFUSING AN OFFER OF RESETTLEMENT ELSWHERE. OTHERS, FOR ONE REASON OR ANOTHER, DID NOT TURN UP FOR INTERVIEW. AS THE IR ONLY ALTERNATIVE IS TO STAY IN HONG KONG, FOR HMG TO AGREE TO RECONSIDER THESE REFUGEES WOULD ALSO BE OF PARTICULAR HELP TO US.

8. AS REGARDS (C) BY DIFFICULT-TO-RESETTLE CASES WE MEAN THOSE WHO HAVE FAILED TO MEET THE CRITERIA OF THE RESETTLEMENT COUNTRIES USUALLY BECAUSE THEY LACK THE NECESSARY FAMILY CONNECTIONS. ALMOST MNEVITABLY, ONE CONSEQUENCE OF A SUCCESSFUL RESETTLEMENT PROGRAMME THIS YEAR WILL BE THAT FEWER CANDIDATES WHO MEET THE CRITERIA OF THE RESETTLEMENT COUNTRIES WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR SOME TIME TO COME. THE AMERICANS HAVE FORECAST THEY WILL BE PUNNING INTO SUCH DIFFICULTIES TOWARDS THE END OF THIS YEAR. THE AUSTRALIANS HAVE HINTED LIKEWISE. THUS SUCCESSFUL RESETTLEMENT NEXT YEAR

MS LIKELY TO DEPEND ON THE EXTENT TO WHICH WE CAN PERSUADE THE

RESETTLEMENT COUNTRIES TO RELAX THEIR CRITERIA. TO THIS END, WHICH FROM EXPERIENCE WE KNOW IS NOT AN EASY ONE, IT WOULD BE A GREAT HELP IF HMG COULD INCLUDE SOME CASES THAT MNVOLVE RELAXING THE UK CRITERIA MN THE SECOND INITIATIVE. A COMMITMENT

TO TEN DIFFICULT-TO-RESETTLE CASES A MONTH MIGHT BE SUFFICIENT TO TRIGGER AN APPROPRIATE RESPONSE FROM OTHER COUNTRIES. HMG MIGHT WISH TO GIVE PRIORITY TO THE ELDERLY (WHO MIGHT BE CARED FOR IN SHELTERED HOMES BY REFUGEES NOW IN THE UK), SINGLE GIRLS, REFUGEES WITH PARTICULAR SKILLS AND ANY WHO CAN OBTAIN SPONSORSHIP IN THE UK, ALL OF WHOM SHOULD BE REASONABLY EASY TO RESETTLE. BUT FROM OUR POINT OF VIEW WE WOULD PREFER PRIORITY TO BE GIVEN TO SINGLE

MALES.

9. WE SUGGEST THAT THE RATE OF TOTAL RESETTLEMENT TO THE UK IN 1987 SHOULD REMAIN AT AROUND 40 A MONTH. THIS LEVEL SHOULD BE SUFFICIENT TO STIMULATE OTHER COUNTRIES BUT NOT (NOT) CAUSE AN EXODUS FROM VIETNAM. FROM WHAT REFUGEES ARRIVING HERE NOW TELL US, WE HAVE NO (NO) REASON TO SUPPOSE THAT THE SUCCESS OF THE PRESENT UK INITIATIVE IS STIMULATING REFUGEES TO COME HERE.

YOUDE

LIMITED

HKD

SEAD

UND

MR WILSON

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CONF IDENT I AL