FCOAOR(3)
CONFIDENTIAL
Background
a
Race
1.
HMG agreed last September, in response to recommendation from
the Home Affairs Committee's Subcommittee on
Relations and
(estimated
at
about
500) from
Hong Kong
Immigration (SCORRI), to accept an additional number of Vietnamese under relaxed
We have used this initiative to seek to
give
refugees family reunion criteria.
with
some success
other countries persuade resettlement help to Hong Kong as well.
2.
concluded now
to
more
that
our
SCORRI
from
programme,
Office Ministers have Home
commitment has been
and fulfilled,
that the special offtake We have discussed with Home Office Hong Kong should end this month.
it is but officials possible means of
the continuing clear that Home Office Ministers are unlikely to agree to this until
at
the situation in least
time after Mr Waddington has some
However, we Hong Kong during his visit between 21 and 27 September. State write
the Home have recommended that the Secretary of
until offtake continues Secretary to Ministers are able to review the position in more detail.
request
that the
present
seen
to
3.
Since
overseas we recognise that
We
are approaching
resettlement is plainly an
and UNHCR
option that cannot be pursued indefinitely for all emigrants from the ma in resettlement Vietnam, countries to seek to explore with them what other solutions can be found for those who are (arguably) less political refugees than
"economic migrants".
such discussions take place,
place, they may
to
Vietnamese regarding eventually conditions for repatriating those who are not genuine refugees.
discussions such
any
the
lead
to
If
joint approach a
with the Vietnamese, if
But
indeed they prove
the short term
aware of our current approaches to
viable at all, are unlikely to be practicable in
future.
The Home Office are
other countries on these lines.
CONFIDENTIAL
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