HKD 243/12
CONFIDENTIAL
ARZADG
VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE IN HONG KONG:
RECORD OF CALL ON THE SECRETARY
OF STATE BY THE BRITISH REFUGEE COUNCIL: 19 MAY 1988 AT 4.15PM
Those present:
Secretary of State
Mrs V Bottomley
Mr R N Peirce, Private Secretary
Mr AR Paul, HKD
Lord Chitnis, Chairman of
the British Refugee Council
Dr M Barber, Director of BRC
Mr N Hinton, Save The Children
Fund
1.
Lord Chitnis expressed concern about the deteriorating situation and about the possible denial of first asylum in Hong Kong. However, the BRC accepted the need for some kind of sifting process, since this would assist the identification of genuine refugees. Dr Barber added that the introduction of screening in Thailand had reduced the numbers and improved the quality of arrivals. Was something similar for Hong Kong under consideration? He thought that British voluntary agencies might well accept the need for screening.
2.
Lord Chitnis acknowledged that a durable solution to the problem would involve repatriation to Vietnam under acceptable conditions of those who failed to meet refugee criteria. But for such a policy to work there would have to be progress towards normalisation of relations with Vietnam. The root cause of the problem lay in Vietnam. The numbers of people wishing to leave Vietnam would not diminish as long as the Vietnamese economy remained in such poor shape.
3.
Mr Hinton said that the introduction of screening in Hong Kong would be a difficult pill for volunteer workers in Hong Kong to swallow. Those screened out would not be an easy group of people to look after. Screening would thus create new problems for those working with the boat people in Hong Kong. He hoped that screening would be accompanied by renewed pressure on the resettlement countries to take more genuine refugees; the provision of some ODA funds for volunteer agencies to work in Vietnam; and by the provision of more funds from HMG to assist Hong Kong in coping with
CONFIDENTIAL
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