TNAG-1797-FCO40-2557-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-refugees-repatriation--including-Opera-1988 — Page 310

BACKGROUND

CONFIDENTIAL

Reference A: Hong Kong Telno 3:5

New Policy

·

1. The Hong Kong Government introduced a new policy on 16 June, involving a system of screening on arrival, based on internationally recognised criteria to distinguish genuine refugees from those who

have left Vietnam simply in search of a better life. Those few who

can show that they are genuine refugees will be accommodated in Hong

Kong to await resettlement. The rest will be detained as illegal immigrants pending their return to Vietnam as soon as acceptable

conditions for this are established. So far the Hong Kong

Government have interviewed about 1,000 post 16 June arrivals.

initial view has been taken on about half of these. None have been

found to merit refugee status, but no decisions have been made known

to those screened or to the public.

An

Talks with Vietnam

2. The Vietnamese Government have invited representatives of Hong

Kong, countries of first asylum and UNHCR to hold bilateral talks

with them.

3. A first round of talks between British and Hong Kong officials

and the Vietnamese took place in Hanoi on 3-4 August.

inconclusively. In essence the outcome amounted to:

1

They ended

agreement that the Vietnamese would take realistic and

effective measures to stem the outflow of boat people:

agrement in principle that some boat people in Hong Kong should

be repatriated:

but Vietnamese insistence that only volunteers should be

returned:

and a clear indication that the Vietnamese are looking for

financial aid to assist the reintegration of returnees.

ROYAEB

CONFIDENTIAL