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077710 MDHIAN 1896
RESETTLEMENT COUNTRIES. THERE IS A GOOD ARGUMENT FOR SPEAKING TO THEM FIRST INDEED THEY HAVE BEEN GIVEN ADVANCE NOTICE OF THE OUTLINE OF OUR THINKING. IN SPEAKING TO THEM IN MORE DETAIL WE WILL NEED TO EMPHASIZE THE GROWING IMBALANCE BETWEEN THE INFLOW OF BOAT PEOPLE AND THE OFF-TAKE BY RESETTLEMENT COUNTRIES: THE FACT THAT MOST OF THE ARRIVALS ARE ECONOMIC MIGRANTS, NOT REFUGEES: THAT HONG KONG'S RESOURCES ARE STRETCHED TO THE LIMIT AND LOCAL PRESSURE IS MOUNTING. WE WILL ALSO HAVE TO EMPHASIZE THAT GENUINE REFUGEES WILL BE IDENTIFIED BY SCREENING PROCESSES UNDERTAKEN IN CO-OPERATION WITH UNHCR: THAT THERE WILL BE AN APPEALS PROCEDURE ALONG UNHCR GUIDELINES: AND THAT CONDITIONS OF EVEN THOSE HELD AS ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS WILL BE HUMANE. THE RESETTLEMENT COUNTRIES WILL BE ASKED TO HELP TO
GET THE PROPAGANDA MESSAGE TO VIETNAM AND TO HELP OUT IN RESETTLING EXISTING VIETNAM REFUGEES ESPECIALLY THE LONG STAYERS. THE UNHCR WILL BE ASKED TO PROVIDE FUNDING FOR EXPENSES INCURRED BY THE REFUGEES.
B) THE SECOND GROUP WILL BE OTHER IMPORTANT COUNTRIES : UK'S EUROPEAN PARTNERS, JAPAN, SCANDINAVIAN COUNTRIES AND NEW ZEALAND. THE MESSAGE TO THSE WILL BE ESSENTIALLY THE SAME, BUT THE TIMING DIFFERENT. WE DO NOT NEED TO GAIN THEIR ACCEPTANCE AS FAR IN ADVANCE AS WE DO THAT OF THE FIRST GROUP, BUT SINCE THEY ARE RESETTLEMENT COUNTRIES WE SHOULD GIVE THEM SOME NOTICE.
C) OTHER FIRST ASYLUM COUNTRIES, AND THE REST OF THE INTER- NATIONAL COMMUNITY. AGAIN THE MESSAGE COULD BE SUBSTANTIALLY SIMILAR, WITH PERHAPS MORE EMPHASIS ON THE BURDEN PRESENTLY CARRIED BY HONG KONG AS AGAINST THE HUMANITARIAN ASPECTS OF THE MATTER. THESE DO NOT NEED TO BE INFORMED IN ADVANCE OF IMPLEMENTATION OF THE POLICY.
D) THE PRC.
WE WILL WISH TO SEEK CHINESE CO-OPERATION, ESPECIALLY IN DISCOURAGING THOSE BOAT PEOPLE WHO TRAVEL TO HONG KONG MAKING STOPS TO REPROVISION ALONG THE CHINESE COAST. IN RECENT CONTACTS PRC OFFICIALS HAVE INDICATED DISAGREEMENT WITH THE CURRENT POLICY OF FIRST ASYLUM: THEY ARE LIKELY TO BE SUPPORTIVE OF A STIFFENING OF POLICY.
E). VIETNAM. WE WILL WISH HMA HANOI TO BRIEF THE VIETNAMESE IN SUITABLY ROBUST TERMS PERSONALLY BEFORE HE LEAVES FOR THE UNITED KONG DOM, VIA HONG KONG. THE MESSAGE TO THE VIETNAMESE WILL URGE THEM TO PREVENT ILLEGAL DEPARTURES AND WORK TOWARDS ARRANGEMENTS
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