TNAG-1632-FCO40-2248-Ministerial-visits-from-the-UK-to-Hong-Kong--including-visit-1987 — Page 59

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Race Relations and Immigration).

After the arrival in the UK of the

SCORRI intake and in the light of the continuing influx of Vietnamese refugees into Hong Kong, the Home Secretary announced on 8 May 1987 that the UK would accept a further 468 family reunion cases over the next two years. These have now started to arrive. The latest decision has attracted some criticism in the UK and Hong Kong as an inadequate response to the situation, but in the context of immigration pressures from elsewhere the Home Office felt unable

to accept more.

Other Durable Solutions

4.

Resettlement alone is not a sufficient answer to the problem. We have therefore begun discussing with other resettlement countries and UNHCR the basis for a common alternative approach to the Vietnamese refugee problem. Our intention is that this should involve collective approaches to the Vietnamese to establish whether acceptable conditions exist for the return to Vietnam of those who

have left.

5.

an

With this in mind, we have been in contact with UNHCR and members of the ICG (Intergovernmental Consultative Group, informal group established to discuss solutions to the Indo-Chinese refugee problem, consisting of the US, Canada, Australia and Japan) to discuss the next step forward. We originally proposed a meeting in London in September, but we have discarded this idea in the light of the mixed reaction which it received. We understand we will be invited to attend as observers the next ICG meeting to be held in Geneva in October. We hope this meeting can be used to discuss collective action with the Vietnamese.

6.

Progress with the ICG had been slow, not least because there exist differences of emphasis between the various members of the

group.

Australia, Canada and the UNHCR appear to be in favour of specific proposals to Vietnam for limited repatriation, subject to acceptable conditions whereas the US and Japan's priority is

At the same time the continuing support for refugee settlement. Vietnamese authorities have shown no sign of relaxing their

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