TNAG-1601-FCO40-2194-Hong-Kong-1987-Review-of-Representative-Government-1987 — Page 17

own merits.

CONFIDENTIAL

Vietnamese refugees in Hong Kong

8.

The population of Vietnamese refugees in Hong Kong has increased from 8,000 at the beginning of 1987 to over 9,300 now.

This has led to increased demands in Hong Kong that more must be

done to resolve the problem. In particular Hong Kong wants to establish an arrangement whereby economic migrants are separated from genuine refugees and repatriated to Vietnam under acceptable guarantees. HMG have agreed to take 468 more refugees from Hong Kong over the next two years. Line to take: UK has overall taken about 13,000 Vietnamese refugees from Hong Kong, behind only the US and Canada. Every sympathy with Hong Kong: we are urging other countries to accept more for resettlement and to help us in search

for other durable solutions.

CONFIDENTIAL

DECEMBER 1987