TNAG-1540-FCO40-2104-Further-resettlement-of-Vietnamese-refugees-from-Hong-Kong-i-1986 — Page 91

3 OCT '86 10:59

HOME OFFICE

Your Ref: HKK 243/11

Our Ref:

IMG/86 72/1126/3

A M Layden Esq.

Hong Kong Department

Foreign and Commonwealth Office London SW1 2AH

PAGE.02

HOME OFFICE

LUNAR HOUSE

WELLESLEY ROAD

CROYDON CRP BY

3 October 1986

Dear Anthony

HONG KONG: VIETNAMESE REFUGEES

Thank you for your letter of 1 October on EXCOM briefing. While broadly content with the line you propose, I hope we can ensure that it does not shut out long term solutions which are not confined only to western resettlement.

From our standpoint, you will appreciate that it was a disappointment to see that the Foreign Secretary's minute of 15 September to the Home Secretary spoke only of resettlement and gave no consideration to the long-term possibilities to which you now refer. As you are aware, we remain concerned that the substantial international efforts to resettle refugees from Hong Kong in the last year have had little effect on the population levels in the camps. The increased rate of new arrivals has led UNHCR to predict an end of year camp population of around 10,000 – about the same as the figure for the start of the year. If Ministers are to agree to taking a "limited further number" as suggested in SCORRI, they will want some assurance that this is not merely a cosmetic or indeed futile gesture but will, in concert with other moves to address the causes rather than the symptoms, be of substantive help towards ending the situation. We are glad therefore to note that Clinton Reeks will be participating at Geneva in the kind of meeting you describe and which we hope will be an effective part of your Department's vigorous general pursuit of alternatives to resettlement. It follows we will be interested to hear the results of your discussions with other countries involved and look to you for further developed ideas on how diplomatic action → extending we realise probably beyond the Hong Kong department's immediate remit may tackle these problems at source. Appreciatin that there are no panaceas, you will nonetheless understand that we would have liked to detect a more urgent tone in the description in your paragraph 4 of how you intend to address these problems.

As far as the briefing itself is concerned, I would like to alter the final sentence only, to reflect this con n.

As drafted "No decision yet taken on scale of further resettlement in UK" it implies that we have already decided on, a further intake and are now only discussing the size of it. This is premature, and I would prefer the wording "No decision has yet been taken on how best to. respond to the problem" which will emphasise, inter alia, our concern that all aspects of Hong Kong's refugee problem are pursued.

MA

Yours wer

R M MORRTS