TNAG-1801-FCO40-2561-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-refugees-resettlement-in-the-UK-1988 — Page 22

ARZAEV

CONFIDENTIAL

HKD 243/12

FROM:

RECEV.

- 1 AUG 1988

DATE:

OFFICER

CC:

INL

PA

Mr McLaren

PS/Lord Glenarthur

I very

Private Secretary

A R Paul

Secretary DS 1988

Lily

Hong Kong Department

21 July 1988

PS/Mr Eggar

Mr Gillmore

Mr Colvin, SEAD

Mr Williams, UND

strongly endore this. & 21/7

#1 12 1

(lan scenorth).

The clean drast

2.

3

incorporates

74

Amendments by My Mclwen and Lan Suenarths. Dari kong

VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE IN HONG KONG: RESETTLEMENT IN THE UNITED

KINGDOM

22/7

Problem

1.

The Secretary of State has undertaken to put a revised

resettlement proposal to the Home Secretary. How should we reply? proceed?

Recommendation

2.

I recommend that the Secretary of State should send a further minute to the Home Secretary on the lines of the attached draft.

Background

3.

In discussion with the Secretary of State on 20 July, the Governor of Hong Kong said that a commitment to take an additional 1,000 Vietnamese refugees from the territory was very welcome. But he expressed concern that to spread the intake over 3 years, as we had proposed, would considerably dilute the impact of the offer and might well be perceived in Hong Kong as an inadequate response. He suggested that we should aim for an increased intake of 40 per month (as opposed to 30 per month) which we had proposed to the Home Secretary. The Secretary of State, with Lord Glenarthur's support,

undertook to see what could be done.

CONFIDENTIAL