TNAG-1796-FCO40-2556-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-refugees-repatriation--including-Opera-1988 — Page 268

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3. There are now in Hong Kong almost 16,000 boat people

Housing and feeding

who arrived before the new policy came into effect, and

almost 8,000 who have arrived since.

such numbers is putting a considerable strain on the Hong

Kong Government's resources.

4. The change in policy has however secured an important

gain on another front. By July the Vietnamese Government

told us they wanted to hold talks on the return of boat

people from Hong Kong. A first round took place in Hanoi

in early August. This produced agreement that the

Vietnamese would take effective measures to limit the

outflow of boat people; and also agreement in principle

that boat people in Hong Kong should be returned to

Vietnam. But the Vietnamese are saying at present that

they will take only those who volunteer to go back.

they have made it clear that they are looking for some

form of limited financial assistance to reintegrate

returnees into their communities.

And

The

5. We judge that the present Vietnamese focus on

voluntary returnees is essentially tactical.

Vietnamese must privately recognise that a repatriation

programme will have to go wider than the small number

(about a hundred so far) who have asked to go back.

the question of reintegration assistance is likely to be

a sticking point.

But

6.

I am convinced that the only way of relieving Hong

Kong of its heavy burden is through agreement on a

CONFIDENTIAL

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