TNAG-1801-FCO40-2561-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-refugees-resettlement-in-the-UK-1988 — Page 127

CONFIDENTIAL

HUD 243/12

FROM:

PS/Lord Glenarthur

FILE

36

CO Hum

Hong Kong Department

23 March 1988

DATE:

Cc:

PS/Mr Eggar

Mr Gillmore

Mr McLaren

Mr Adams, SEAD

LORD GLENARTHUR'S OFFICE MEETING ON VIETNAMESE REFUGEES IN HONG KONG:

24 MARCH 1988

1.

Lord Glenarthur is holding an office meeting tomorrow afternoon to discuss Vietnamese refugees in Hong Kong.

2. As I see it, the purpose of the meeting will be:

(i) to discuss how the Secretary of State should respond to the Home

Secretary's minute of 15 March, proposing that our present commitment to

resettle 468 refugees at 20 per month should be met in full, but that

any attempts to extend it beyond the previously agree limits should

be resisted;

(ii) to consider how in the longer term we might best secure an additional

resettlement commitment, to run either concurrently with the present

commitment or when the present commitment expires. We need to bear in

mind the fact that Lord Glenarthur will be questioned closely on this when he visits Hong Kong again in June;

(iii) if Lord Glenarthur wishes, to review progress in our diplomatic attempts

to secure additional resettlement places and to pursue the long term

solution of repatriation to Vietnam.

3.

I submit a short paper to serve as a basis for discussion. It describes

the background, summarises the arguments for and against a further commitment

and examines the possible options. I envisage that the outcome of the meeting

might be a minute from Lord Glenarthur to the Secretary of State, recommending the lines on which the latter might speak informally to the Home Secretary to

sound out the ground before replying formally to his minute.

сли

CO Hum