TNAG-1801-FCO40-2561-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-refugees-resettlement-in-the-UK-1988 — Page 61

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CONFIDENTIAL

(iii)

7.

(iv)

(v)

effectively disqualified themselves from resettlement

anywhere else. Arguably we retain a certain responsibility towards them;

the long-stayers (some of whom have now been in closed camps for about six years) are a priority for UNHCR. We would gain particular kudos by including a few and there are strong humanitarian reasons for doing so;

there might be some political attraction in taking refugees with special skills which would better equip them to integrate into society here. (But at present the Home Office have no mechanism for identifying refugees on that basis);

the idea for sponsored refugees comes from arrangements in place in North America, where church groups have been ready to meet some of the costs of the installation of a refugee family. But in practice the numbers likely to be resettled under any such scheme would be very small.

I have considered whether there is any alternative, at the stage we have reached, to a bilateral meeting between the Secretary of State and the Home Secretary. I do not think that there is more preparatory work that could usefully be done between officials or at a lower ministerial level. The Home Office understand the issues well. What is now needed is the political impetus of a meeting between Secretaries of State.

CONFIDENTIAL

сбыва

CO Hum

1

I concur with the basic judgements