TNAG-1792-FCO40-2552-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-refugees-repatriation--including-Opera-1988 — Page 16

CONFIDENTIAL

A

B

had arrived in Hong Kong under the existing policy (as well as those who are screened in as refugees under the proposed new

arrangements).

They will expect Her Majesty's Government to take the lead in this. Indeed if we do not it seems most unlikely that

Many other resettlement countries would be prepared to do much. British MPs will no doubt also be calling HMG to take the initiative. There will be similar calls in the media and from refugee organisations.

5.

on

In March

The Secretary of State is well aware of the reservations which colleagues have about any new resettlement commitment. Lord Glenarthur floated with Mr Renton a possible new commitment of up to 500 (comprising a continuation of our present family reunion scheme (200), an additional commitment for previous UK refusal cases, long stayers and refugees selected for their skills (240),

Mr Renton and some new arrangement involving sponsorship). undertook to examine the package, but his initial response was not hopeful. This initiative has been largely overtaken by consideration of the proposed new policy and, quite reasonably, the

The Prime Minister, in Home Office have not yet come back to us. noting the Hong Kong Government's consideration of a new policy, was very resistant to the idea that the UK should make any new commitment on resettlement.

6.

Despite this unpromising background we shall have to consider what can be done. It may be possible to overcome Ministers' understandable reluctance to contemplate a new resettlement commitment by deploying the following arguments:

(a)

(b)

the overall thrust of policy would have moved firmly from

The prospect of resettlement to eventual repatriation. resettlement action to clear up a relatively finite residual problem (or at least a sharply tapering one) would be more attractive than before the introduction of the new policy, when resettlement arguably served as a "pull factor" to encourage more boat people;

an initiative by the UK in the immediate aftermath of the recent influx and a change of policy in Hong Kong would be

CONFIDENTIAL,