TNAG-1794-FCO40-2554-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-refugees-repatriation--including-Opera-1988 — Page 46

ου

BRITISH REFUGEE COUNCIL

From:

Martin Barber

Marte H

Members of the Asia Committee

To:

Date:

29 June 1988

Re:

HONG KONG

Attached

Members will be aware that the Hong Kong Government has introduced a screening procedure for newly arriving Vietnamese in Hong Kong. is a copy of the announcement.

The Chairman of the BRC, Lord Chitnis, was able to see Sir Geoffrey Howe at very short notice before the Foreign Secretary visited Hong Kong at the end of May. Notes of the meeting are attached.

Also attached is a copy of an internal Note of 16 June on which the BRC's Press Release and other public comments have been based.

At the suggestion of SCF, an ad hoc meeting was held on 27 June between the Directors of BRC, Ockenden Venture and Refugee Action, with the Overseas Director, Michael Aaronson, and David Wright of SCF and Oliver Hall of OV. The four agencies agreed to invite the VRNC and NICA to join them in preparing a policy position on the resettlement aspects of the situation, for consideration by the Executive council on 6 September. The meeting also asked me to suggest the following course of action to the Asia Committee:

Endorse the general policy position taken by the BRC on the issue;

Ask the Hong Kong Government and UNHCR for:

1.

2.

a)

Statistical information

b)

Full details of the screening procedure

c)

d)

UNHCR's response to, and involvement in, the screening procedure Details of the plans for the future accommodation in HK of

those rejected; those found to be refugees; those who arrived before the screening.

The meeting felt that it would not be appropriate to launch a major advocacy initiative until the answers to these questions were available. It was noted, however, that since the closed camp policy had failed as a deterrent, and a

new deterrent policy (screening) had been introduced, there seemed no logical reason for maintaining the closed nature of the "closed" camps.

A concern has also been expressed at reports of what is said to Vietnamese arriving in boats in Hong Kong. It would be important to know how many people have chosen to sail on rather than land in Hong Kong.

АНА