TNAG-1591-FCO40-2176-Appointment-of-Sir-David-Wilson-as-new-Governor-of-Hong-Kong-1987 — Page 101

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We have established contact with the ma in

resettlement countries and UNHCR and expressed our interest in discussing longer-term solutions to the refugee problem including a possible joint approach to the Vietnamese

Government. We shall continue to pursue these contacts in parallel with the new resettlement programme.

Closed Camps Policy

Until July 1982, Vietnamese refugees in Hong Kong were accommodated in UNHCR camps and were free to leave the

camps and seek employment. Since then, in order to

discourage further Vietnamese from leaving by boat for Hong Kong, all newly arriving Vietnamese refugees have been

placed in closed camps run by the Hong Kong

Kong Government which they are not permitted to leave during their stay.

This reduced the level of arrivals until 1986, when twice

as many boat people (2074) arrived as in 1985. There is

strong public support in Hong Kong for the policy, which is considered generous in comparison with the HKG's policy to repatriate all illegal immigrants from China, irrespective of their links with the territory.

REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT

A review of Hong Hong's system of representative

government to be conducted in 1987. This will include the

question of whether direct elections should be introduced.

A Hong Kong Government Green Paper will be published in

late May.

The

Chinese are concerned at the possible

introduction of direct elections in Hong Kong. This is

partly because they fear the political instability and

infighting which direct elections might bring, and partly

because they wish to consider further whether direct

elections need be included in Hong Kong's Basic Law of

which they aim to publish a first draft

first draft in explained to public opinion in Hong Kong,

1988.

We have

to Parliament,

CONFIDENTIAL