TNAG-1800-FCO40-2560-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-refugees-principle-of-first-asylum-1988 — Page 308

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The world must do its utmost to give permanent homes and a

livelihood to the refugees, and to finance the costs. The united

States of America, France, and the People's Republic of China

have already done a great deal. Many other countries have also

made notable contributions.

We have a particular

My own country is in a unique position.

responsibility for Hong Kong, which has taken all the refugees

who have reached its shores. None have been turned away. I

have seen for myself how good the arrangements for them are.

We intend to accept our share of refugees for final settlement.

We shall take into Britain over the coming months a further

ten thousand refugees, as the United Nations High Commissioner for

Refugees has requested. Subject to the approval of the Parliament,

we shall also make available a further five million pounds over

the next twelve months for dealing with the refugee problem.

Because Hong Kong's resources are already stretched to the limit,

and the numbers of refugees there has continued to increase, we

shall allocate all our places to Hong Kong. I hope that other

countries will also commit themselves to doing more for Hong

Kong, which now has nearly one third of all boat refugees in

camps in South-East Asia.

We should work out effective programmes for the resettlement

of refugees in developing as well as more of the developed countries. *prosperity of these developing countries but we recognise that these countries will require financial and other

assistance in resettlement.

We must reassert the

the accepted principles of international behaviour governing temporary asylum for people whose lives are in danger,

and the obligation to save life at

These principles were

not designed to cope with a man-made disaster of the size we are now witnessing. It is not surprising if they have broken down here and there under the pressure of what seems to be an endless influx of refugees. But we must uphold and reassert them as best

we can if we

to preserve the fabric of civilised international life. The responsibility falls not only on the countries of

the area, and the Captains of vessels in the seas around Vietnam.

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