TNAG-1537-FCO40-2101-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-refugees-resettlement-in-third-countri-1986 — Page 56

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Foreign and Commonwealth Office

London SW1A 2AH

Telephone 01-

Your reference

Our reference

HKK 243/9

WKK 243/9

Date 16 October 1986

PF Ricketts Esq

British Embassy Washington

RECEIVER REGISTRY

17 OCT 1986

POER

Der Pelet,

де

INLA

REGISTRY

PA

Acron laken

(180)

VIETNAMESE REFUGEES

1.

1

Thank you for your letter of 23 September to Christopher Hum, enclosing a copy of Shultz S statement on 16 September. We are grateful, as ever, for your keeping us

for your keeping us in close touch with developments on the US refugee" scene.

2. Your point in paragraph 2 (ii) about Long-stayers is particularly interesting. Hong Kong has of course the highest proportion of Vietnamese long-stayers- the "longest stayers" of any place of first asylum in the region. Against a background of repeated US indications that their offtake from Hong Kong will be reduced during fy87 (because of a claimed lack in Hong Kong of "eligible" refugees under existing US criteria) a US initiative on long stayers would be extremely useful to us in maintaining

This in turn offers US offtake from Hong Kong at a tolerable level. us some marginal presentational advantages with the other main resettlement

3.

countries.

Please let us know what you unearth on State's intentions in this regard. Recent statistics on Hong Kong's long-stayer problem If you are in paragraph 3 of Hong Kong Telno 3324, copy attached. need more background on this particular aspect, please let us or Hong Kong know.

Чи

fui llit

CE Leeks

Hong Kong Department

C.C.

R Fell Esq

SEAD

D Moss Esq UKMIS Geneva

K Woodhouse Esq Security Branch Hong Kong

D Wyatt Esq Bangkok

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