CONFIDENTIAL
FM UKMIS GENEVA
TO PRIORITY FCO
TELNO 269
OF 060938Z MAY
INFO PRIORITY HONG KONG
724
нко 243/8
143
CONFIDENTIAL
YOUR TELNO 125: VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE
170755
MDLIAN 5479
TOP COPY Q DIST ?
117
1. INCREASING PRESSURES ON HONG KONG CLEARLY CALL FOR A REVIEW OF PRESENT POLICY. PARAGRAPH 4 OF OUR TELNO 257 WAS INTENDED TO UNDERLINE THE NEED FOR CAREFUL PRESENTATION AND TIMING OF ANY CHANGE IN POLICY, AFTER CONSULTING OUR ICG PARTNERS AND UNHCR.
2. THE INTRODUCTION OF SCREENING FOR NEW ARRIVALS IN HONG KONG WOULD CLARIFY THE REFUGEE STATUS OF SOME AND, POSSIBLY, ENHANCE THEIR CHANCES OF EARLY RESETTLEMENT. IT WOULD ALSO, HOWEVER, UNDERLINE THE 'ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT STATUS OF MANY OTHERS. WE CANNOT BE
CERTAIN THAT EXPECTATIONS OF NON-RESETTLEMENT WOULD STOP THE FLOOD OF ARRIVALS. THUS, WITHOUT ANY EARLY PROSPECT OF REPATRIATION TO VIETNAM, HONG KONG MIGHT BE SADDLED INDEFINITELY WITH AN INCREASING NUMBER OF ''ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS''
3. DESPITE INDICATIONS OF INCREASING FLEXIBILITY IN THE AMERICAN POSITION, AS EXPRESSED AT THE ICG MEETING IN OTTAWA, A CHANGE IN REFUGEE POLICY IN HONG KONG WILL NOT BE WELCOME TO THEM. IN THEIR VIEW, IT WOULD JEOPARDISE THE AGREEMENTS REACHED AT THE 1979 CONFERENCE WHEREBY ALL ARRIVALS AT LEAST ENJOYED THE PROSPECT OF
RESETTLEMENT IN THE LONG TERM IN RETURN FOR A GURANTEE OF FIRST
A SY LUM BY THE COUNTRIES IN THE REGION. IF UNILATERAL ACTION BY HONG
KONG PROVOKED CALLS FOR ANOTHER 1979 TYPE CONFERENCE, AT WHICH THE PRINCIPLE OF FIRST ASYLUM WOULD BE AT RISK, THE AMERICANS MIGHT REACT NEGATIVELY AND ''PENALIZE HONG KONG (AND THE UK) BY REDUCING
OR CUTTING COMPLETELY THEIR RESETTLEMENT OFFTAKE FROM HONGKONG.
4. AS FOR UNHCR, WE DO NOT THINK THEY WOULD BE CONTENT TO LEAVE IT SOLELY TO THE HONG KONG AUTHORITIES TO APPLY UNHCR CRITERIA. THEY CLAIM THAT ALL PEOPLE LEAVING VIETNAM IN BOATS SHOULD BE TREATED AS
REFUGESS, IN LINE WITH THE 1979 AGREEMENTS. EVEN IF THE HONG KONG AUTHORITIES IDENTIFIED A CATEGORY OF ''ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS'', THE HIGH COMMISSIONER WOULD STILL CONSIDER THESE PERSONS TO BE OF
CONCERN TO HIS OFFICE.
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CONFIDENTIAL
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