TNAG-1748-FCO40-2467-Visit-by-Sir-Geoffrey-Howe--Secretary-of-State-for-Foreign-a-1988 — Page 73

CONFIDENTIAL

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4.

There is every likelihood that the numbers reaching Hong Kong

will continue to increase: the tougher policies already introduced

by other countries in the region, the inevitable rumours of a

possible change of policy in Hong Kong, and the favourable weather

conditions at this time of year are all very likely to contribute to a surge in the coming weeks.

5. Against this background, the Hong Kong Government have been

reviewing their policy of automatic first asylum for all people who

arrive by boat from Vietnam. The Hong Kong Government's memorandum

for ExCo on this subject (Hong Kong telno 1824) sets out the current

state of thinking. In essence the Hong Kong Government have

rejected the option of detention of all arrivals without screening,

although they recognise that this would have maximum deterrent

effect. They have opted for a policy with the following elements:

people arriving by boat from Vietnam would no longer be

automatically deemed to have refugee status;

a system of screening on arrival, based on standard UNHCR

criteria (and along lines used by Home Office), would be introduced

to distinguish genuine refugees from economic migrants;

those arrivals who failed to satisfy the criteria (ie were

screened out) would not be eligible for resettlement. They would be

detained indefinitely in closed camps, pending eventual return to

Vietnam when this can be agreed with the Vietnamese authorities on

the basis of acceptable assurances about their treatment.

6.

As part of the new policy the Hong Kong Government intend that

the existing closed centres should be liberalised and placed under

the responsibility of the UNHCR. Over a period of 6-12 months the

closed centre refugees would be transferred to open centres and

allowed to take up employment in the community. This would over

time substantially reduce the cost to the Hong Kong Government of

refugee maintenance.

7. Hong Kong telno 1825 sets out a possible timetable for the

implementation of the new policy, which the Governor provisionally

plans to introduce on 15 June. We have made it clear that there can

be no guarantee that Ministerial approval for the change will be forthcoming by that date.

CONFIDENTIAL