TNAG-1744-FCO40-2463-Visits-by-FCO-officials-to-Hong-Kong--including-visit-by-Lor-1988 — Page 119

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CONFIDENTIAL

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MDHIAN 2916

ED IMMEDIATELY EVEN THOUGH THEY MIGHT HAVE CLOSE RELATIONS LIVING IN HONG KONG WHEREAS BOAT PEOPLE FROM VIETNAM WERE AUTOMATICALLY CONFERRED THE STATUS OF ''REFUGEE'' AND GRANTED FIRST ASYLUM WHEN THEY ARRIVED IN HONG KONG:

(B) AS ALL VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE PRESENTLY IN HONG KONG HAD BEEN GRANTED THE REFUGEE STATUS, THERE COULD BE CONSIDERABLE DIFFICULTIES EVEN THOUGH IT BECAME FEASIBLE LATER ON TO REACH ACCEPTABLE AGREEMENT ON THEIR INVOLUNTARY (IF UNAVOIDABLE) REPATRIATION. MOREOVER, IT WAS UNDERSTOOD THAT MOST OF THE VIETNAMESE WERE ECONOMIC MIGRANTS FROM NORTH VIETNAM AND COULD HARDLY SATISFY THE ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA SET BY RESETTLEMENT COUNTRIES. MANY OF THEM WOULD LIKELY END UP SETTLING IN HONG KONG:

(C) TO ARRANGE FOR AUTOMATIC SETTLEMENT FOR ALL THE VIETNAMESE BOAT ARRIVALS WOULD ONLY SERVE TO ENCOURAGE MORE BOAT PEOPLE TO LEAVE VIETNAM IN A DISORDERLY MANNER. CONSIDERATION SHOULD THEREFORE BE GIVEN TO CHANGING THE POLICY OF GRANTING FIRST ASYLUM TO ALL VIETN- AMESE BOAT PEOPLE:

(D) THE METHOD OF COST-SHARING WITH UNHCR WAS CONSIDERED UNSATISFA- CTORY AS IT WAS REPORTED THAT THE UNHCR HAD PAID MUCH MORE IN RELATIVE TERMS IN OTHER PLACES OF FIRST ASYLUM THAN IN HONG KONG. THE FINANCIAL BURDEN OF CARING AND MAINTAINING VIETNAMESE REFUGEES WAS GETTING MUCH HEAVIER: AND

(E) ASEAN COUNTRIES OF FIRST ASYLUM WERE LIKELY TO TAKE TOUGHER MEASURES AGAINST VIETNAMESE BOAT ARRIVALS AND HONG KONG WOULD THEN BECOME THE DESTINATION FOR EVEN MORE VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE WHO WOULD NOT OTHERWISE HAVE COME TO HONG KONG.

4. SHE THEN REQUESTED THE SECRETARY OF STATE TO CONSIDER ALLOWING HONG KONG TO TAKE THE FOLLOWING REMEDIAL MEASURES:

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(A) TO CHANGE THE EXISTING POLICY OF GIVING FIRST ASYLUM TO ALL VIETNAMESE BOAT ARRIVALS AND TO STOP AUTOMATICALLY GRANTING THEM THE REFUGEE STATUS:

(B) TO EXPLAIN TO THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY INCLUDING THE UNITED STATES WHY HONG KONG HAD TO CHANGE THE EXISTING POLICY AND THE DIFFICULTIES WHICH HONG KONG WAS NOW FACING: AND

(C) TO ESTABLISH A SCREENING PROCESS TO DISTINGUISH THE GENUINE REFUGEES FROM THE ECONOMCI MIGRANTS WITH THE LATTER GROUP TO BE

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