SECRET
077710
MDHIAN 1896
4.
NEW
•
WITHIN HONG KONG, IT SHOULD BE RELATIVELY EASY TO PUT ACROSS THE POLICY IN ADDITION TO THE NATURAL PUBLICITY ACCRUING TO LEGCO PROCEEDINGS, THERE WILL BE A FULL SCALE PRESS CONFERENCE CHAIRED BY S FOR S ON THE AFTERNOON OF 15 JUNE (WITH FOLLOW-UP PRESS RELEASE), WITH SPOKESMAN ALSO BEING MADE AVAILABLE FOR RADIO/TV INTERVIEWS.
5. THE EMPHASIS LOCALLY WILL BE ON THE NEED TO STRIKE A SUITABLE BALANCE BETWEEN A POLICY SUFFICIENTLY TOUGHT TO DETER PROSPECTIVE ECONOMIC MIGRANTS AND SUFFICIENTLY HUMANE TO PRESERVE HONG KONG'S INTERNATIONAL REPUTATION AND FULLFIL OUR OBLIGATIONS TO GENUINE REFUGEES. THE LINE WILL BE :
A) THE NEW POLICY IS
(FACTUAL INFORMATION ON TREATING ALL VIETNAMESE BOAT ARRIVALS AS ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS: AVAILABILITY OF SCREENING AND APPEAL PROCEDURES ETC) :
(THE TWO MAJOR
B) A CHANGE OF POLICY IS NEEDED BECAUSE FACTORS OF INCREASED NUMBER OF ARRIVALS VIS-A-VIS LOW RESETTLE- MENT RATE):
C) THE NEW POLICY DOES NOT APPLY TO VRS ALREADY IN HONG KONG WHOSE STATUS AS REFUGEES IS UNCHANGED AND UNHCR WILL BE ASKED TO EVENTUALLY TAKE OVER RESPONSIBILITY FOR THESE REFUGEES:
D) THE NEW POLICY DOES NOT AFFECT CHINESE IIS OR ECVIIS WHO WILL CONTINUE TO BE REPATRIATED TO CHINA AS BEFORE: AND
E) THE NEW POLICY HAS BEEN MADE KNOWN TO THE VIETNAMESE GOVERNMENT THROUGH VARIOUS CHANNELS.
INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY
(OTHER THAN DIPLOMATIC CAMPAIGN. SEE ANNEX D)
6.
IN DESCRIBING THE NEW POLICY, THE BASIC MESSAGE FOR USE OVERSEAS WILL BE THE SAME AS THE ONE GIVEN LOCALLY ALTHOUGH IT IS ANTICIPATED THAT THE THRUST OF FOLLOW UP QUESTIONS WILL FOCUS MORE ON THE HUMANITARIAN IMPLICATIONS. AFTER UK APPROVAL FOR THE NEW POLICY, WE INTEND TO LIAISE CLOSELY WITH THE COMMISSIONER LONDON, AND WITH OUR NORTH AMERICAN OFFICES (AND, THROUGH THEM, WITH OUR AMERICAN PR CONSULTANT) TO DEVISE TAILOR-MADE PUBLICITY MATERIALS AND STRATEGY. AT THISE STAGE, WE ENVISAGE THE FOLLOWING :
A)
SPECIAL BRIEFING IN HK FOR ALL LOCALLY BASED FOREIGN
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