TNAG-1540-FCO40-2104-Further-resettlement-of-Vietnamese-refugees-from-Hong-Kong-i-1986 — Page 118

B

C

CONFIDENTIAL

on

SCORRI commitment to accept

to accept some 60 refugees from elsewhere

in South East Asia, they will now be concentrating filling this other "quota" under the same relaxed family reunion criteria. They have told us that Home Office Ministers will not be prepared to take any decision on a further special offtake from Hong Kong is envisaged until at least after Mr Waddington's forthcoming trip to Hong

Kong planned for the end of this month.

5. In the light of the position adopted by Home Office Ministers, their officials have advised us that any request for a prolongation of the present offtake from Hong Kong,

pending Ministerial consideration of a further offtake in

the light of Mr Waddington's visit, would need

need to be made at Ministerial level. (They feel that an approach at Secretary of State level might be more promising than one from Mr Renton to Mr Waddington). They also believe that

Home Office Ministers will

in any event wish to see the

case we may make for a new offtake considered by H

Committee in due course.

6.

resettlement

We have informed Hong Kong of the latest position

regarding

to the UK. They have in response expressed concern at the presentational difficulties that

the end of the current UK offtake will cause both in local

terms and in the light of our efforts to persuade others to

do more in resettlement terms.

7.

For the reasons discussed in the attached draft, I

believe that we must press the Home Office now to consider

the damaging consequences of any hiatus in our offtake from

Hong Kong. In the short term we need their agreement that

family reunion cases should continue to be taken from the

territory pending a decision on a new offtake. I think it

is reasonable for this to be agreed bilaterally with the

Home Office.

Ministers' decision on the current

resettlement programme was expressed in terms capable of

flexible interpretation. Moreover there are many cases

above the original estimate of 500 which have now been

CONFIDENTIAL