TNAG-1799-FCO40-2559-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-refugees-ex-China-Vietnamese-illegal-im-1988 — Page 68

CODE 1877

RESTRICTED

Reference............................

36)

нко

24319

RECEIVEDON KEGISTRY

Note for the File

2 0 JUL 1988

UN 243/518/1

INDE

ICER

PA

ken

CCR Footman Esq, HKD, FCO P Millett Esq, UND, FCO

VIETNAMESE REFUGEES IN HONG KONG AND EX-FANG CHENG CASES: RESETTLEMENT

1. I called on Mr Issaka, the Head of UNHCR's Resettlement Service, on 2 May. Mr Al Attar, the Desk Officer responsible

for Hong Kong resettlement, was also present.

Ex-Fang Cheng Cases

2. I gave Mr Issaka the information contained in para 2 (b) of Peking telno 626 and asked him how UNHCR planned to proceed.

3. Mr Issaka said that the Hong Kong ex-Fang Cheng cases could not be handled separately from 91 Fang Cheng cases in China: if the Hong Kong cases were processed first, this might create a pull-factor. UNHCR therefore needed resettle- ment places for around 151 cases (60 ex-Fang Cheng and 91 Fang Cheng). The personal view of the UNHCR representative in Peking was that the Chinese authorities might eventually agree that the ex-Fang Cheng cases in Hong Kong could return to Fang Cheng under resettlement guarantees, provided resettlement places had also been found for the 91 still in Fang Cheng.

4.

Of the 91, 69 claimed links as follows:

25 to the US;

23 to the UK;

10 to Canada.

The other 22 had no resettlement links.

5.

UNHCR's provisional plan of action (to be agreed by their representative in Hong Kong) was as follows:

(a)

to assess the Hong Kong ex-Fang Cheng caseload to establish link cases, at the same time as completing the assessment of the Fang Cheng caseload;

RESTRICTED

/ (b)

t