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ii)
date for implementation in mid-June;
make it clear to the Hong Kong Government that any change could
not take place until after Ministers collectively had been
consulted, in the light of the Secretary of State's visit;
iii) in the meantime the Secretary of State should minute the
Prime Minister and colleagues, in order to inform them of the
current crisis; to foreshadow the need for urgent consultations
on a possible change of policy; and to clear a line for the Secretary of State to take while in Hong Kong.
I submit a draft telegram to Hong Kong covering i) and ii).
SEAD and UND concur.
A
3.
Background
Latest developments
The situation described in my submission of 27 April has
further deteriorated:
so far this year nearly 3,000 people have arrived by boat from
Vietnam;
May;
on average there have been some 120 arrivals per day so far in
the total refugee population in Hong Kong is now just under
12,000: over half as much again as this time last year;
4.
resettlement departures this year amount to 840.
Political pressures in Hong Kong for a change of policy are
continuing to grow. The issue was discussed at an OMELCO in-house meeting on 9 May, which the Governor has described as "very
hawkish". Miss Lydia Dunn subsequently wrote to the Chief Secretary
advising him that with the exception of one member all members were unanimously of the view that the Hong Kong Government should be
asked to consider changing the existing first asylum policy. The
letter recorded that "members strongly feel that Vietnamese boat
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