TNAG-1792-FCO40-2552-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-refugees-repatriation--including-Opera-1988 — Page 109

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5. An obvious objection to the proposed change is that, until the Vietnamese can be induced to accept repatriation (and there is no sign of this at the moment), those screened out, who will have no access to resettlement opportunities, will form a permanent prison population in Hong Kong. The Governor of Hong Kong is aware of this risk. This is,

however, in effect already the position. Most of the 10,000 "refugees" now in closed camps in Hong Kong are not real refugees and have no hope of resettlement; the only difference under the new policy would be that they would be so defined. The gain expected is that the new screening policy would have at least a deterrent effect, and that the

rate of arrivals would be reduced.

6. I expect the issue of boat people to dominate my visit to Hong Kong from 29 to 31 May. I will have discussions with the Governor and members of ExCo and LegCo about the crisis and will have an opportunity to assess the problem at first hand. It raises a number of difficult issues,

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legal, political and practical, which will need to be

very

carefully considered. However I am inclined to think that

the present policy is intolerable for Hong Kong and has to change.

7. On my return I will need to consult you and our colleagues urgently about whether we should authorise the Hong Kong Government to introduce a new policy along the lines I have described. We would need to consider the diplomatic action necessary to give the policy the best chance of succeeding. We shall also undoubtedly face strong pressure for the United Kingdom to make a new resettlement commitment, to take the lead in a campaign encouraging the major resettlement countries to make a once and for all effort to reduce Hong Kong's problem to manageable proportions.

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