TNAG-1787-FCO40-2547-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-refugees-general-1988 — Page 234

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LORD GLENARTHUR'S OFFICE MEETING: 24 MARCH 1988

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CONFIDENTIAL

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Crta 23/

988

VIETNAMESE REFUGEES IN HONG KONG

Background

1.

Lord Glenarthur is aware of the general background. The situation has deteriorated since 1987, owing to increasing arrivals and decreasing departures. There are now about 9600 Vietnamese

This refugees in Hong Kong, compared with about 7800 on 1 May 1987. has led to calls, notably from certain LegCo members, for Hong Kong

to cease to be a place of first asylum.

2.

We are maintaining our two-pronged attack on the problem:

a)

Resettlement

We are pursuing our diplomatic campaign, using our 1987 commitment in May 1987 to take 468 Vietnamese over the next two years as an argument to encourage other resettlement countries to follow suit. The response has not been encouraging. Several governments, notably the USA (who took about 1000 less refugees from Hong Kong in 1987 than in 1986), have said we are not doing enough to justify additional

assistance.

b)

Durable solutions

We see as the long-term solution the return to Vietnam under suitable safeguards of those who do not meet standard refugee criteria. We take every appropriate bilateral and multilateral opportunity to advance international discussion on this. Progress is slow, but there is growing awareness that the nature of the problem has changed and that

repatriation of "economic migrants" offers the only definitive

solution.

3.

The Home Secretary has written to the Secretary of State expressing readiness to make up an estimated shortfall of about 50 in the original list of 468 named individuals by allowing others meeting the relevant family reunion criteria to take their places.

CONFIDENTIAL