TNAG-1802-FCO40-2562-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-refugees-resettlement-in-the-UK-1988 — Page 145

ARRABT

CONFIDENTIAL

From:

A R Paul

нко 243 112 243/12

AFC

- 9 DEC 1988

Date:

PS/Lord Glenarthur

VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE IN HONG KONG

file,

140

Hong Kong Department

9 December 1988

CC:

Private Secretary

PS/Mr Eggar

PS/PUS

Mr Gillmore

Mr McLaren

SEAD

UND

1

Please refer to your minute of 8 December.

I share

Lord Glenarthur's concern about the link that has been established

between the resettlement in the UK of Vietnamese boat people and

citizenship for Hong Kong businessmen. So do the relevant officials in the Home Office, with whom I have been discussing how we should react to this development and how best to carry matters

forward

2.

The effect of the link will be either to delay a decision on a new resettlement quota or to bring forward some form of resolution of the citizenship issue. Clearly we must aim for the latter. Much will depend on the reaction of the Prime Minister to the Home Secretary's minute of 2 December and the Foreign Secretary's minute of 5 December, neither of which the Prime Minister had apparently seen when she expressed the views recorded in Mr Powell's

letter of 5 December

/༢

T