CONFIDENTIAL
FM HONG KONG
TO PRIORITY FCO
TELNO 2741
OF 16040OZ JULY 88
CONFIDENTIAL
нко 24318
634
061254
MDLIAN 3136
RESUL
Y
1 8 JUL 1988
INFO PRIORITY UKMIS GENEVA
ICEL
N
COPY DIST ?
MIFT
VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE IN HONG KONG : MEETING WITH UNHCR
THE FOLLOWING IS A BRIEF SUMMARY OF POINTS RAISED AT THE 13 JUNE MEETING HELD BETWEEN BAYANDOR AND BARI AND MEMBERS OF THE LEGCO AD HOC GROUP COMPRISING RITA FAN, HO SAI-CHU, JACKIE CHAN AND STEPHEN CHEONG, SECRETARY FOR SECURITY (BARNES); REFUGEE COORDINATOR (FRENCH) AND UNHCR CHARGE DE MISSION (KARIM) WERE ALSO
PRESENT.
2. BAYANDOR BRIEFED THE LEGCO AD HOC GROUP ON THE HISTORICAL BACKGROUND TO THE VIETNAMESE REFUGEE PROBLEM AND ON THE GLOBAL
REFUGEE SITUATION AS WELL AS ON RECENT SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS MADE
BY UNHCR IN ''REACHING A POINT WHERE THEY COULD PERHAPS SEE THE LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL''
3. MRS FAN PRESENTED HK'S POSITION AND THE NEED FOR A NEW DETERRENT
GIVEN THE STRONG PUBLIC FEELING AGAINST CONTINUED ARRIVALS OF
VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE WITH LITTLE PROSPECT FOR RESETTLEMENT AND NO
TIMING FOR REPATRIATION TO VIETNAM. SHE ALSO STRESSED THE WIDELY HELD PUBLIC PERCEPTION THAT HONG KONG HAD BEEN TREATED UNFAIRLY
BY UNHCR OVER FUNDING. SUPPORTED BY OTHER LEGCO MEMBERS SHE WARNED THAT THE LEGISLATURE MIGHT BE FORCED INTO A POSITION OF SUPPORTING PUBLIC CALLS FOR YET TOUGHER MEASURES IF UNHCR REMAINED UNRECEPTIVE TO THE CALL FOR A GREATER CONTRIBUTION TO THE COSTS OF
MAINTENANCE AND CARE OF VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE IN HONG KONG.
4. BAYANDOR IN RETURN URGED LEGCO MEMBERS AS COMMUNITY LEADERS TO
TRY TO INSTIL A GREATER SENSE OF INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN CONCERN INTO HONG KONG CITIZENS AND TO SPREAD A GREATER APPRECIATION OF THE REFUGEE PROBLEM IN A GLOBAL CONTEXT. MEMBERS STRESSED THAT THE LARGE INFLUX OF BOAT PEOPLE AND THE APPARENT
INDIFFERENCE OF THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY TO THE PROBLEM HAD STRETCHED HONG KONG'S RESOURCES AND PATIENCE ALMOST TO BREAK ING POINT.
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