TNAG-1802-FCO40-2562-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-refugees-resettlement-in-the-UK-1988 — Page 195

ROYAGF

Or McLaren

CONFIDENTIAL

HKD 243/12

- ADEC1900

Private Secretary

ER

ALTON 13Ket

Secretory & State bly

FROM: A R Paul

2

A Hong Kong Department DATE: 18 November 1988

cc: PS/Lord Glenarthur

PS/Mr Eggar

Mr Gillmore

126

Mr Colvin, Mr Williams, UND

SEAD

VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE IN HONG KONG: ADDITIONAL UK RESETTLEMENT COMMITMENT

(ao

Problem

1.

To secure the agreement of the Prime Minister to an additional UK resettlement commitment for Vietnamese refugees in Hong Kong.

Recommendation

2.

I recommend that the Secretary of State endorses the attached joint minute from himself and the Home Secretary, which is being submitted in parallel by Home Office officials, proposing an additional commitment to take 1,000 refugees over the next 2 years. The Home Office agree. The views of the Department of the Environment and the Treasury have been taken into account. Background

3. At their meeting on 4 October the Secretary of State and the Home Secretary agreed in principle that officials should prepare a joint minute to the Prime Minister setting out the case for an additional resettlement commitment 1,000 boat people over a period of 2 years.

4.

The attached draft takes account of the specific points which were raised at that meeting:

(a) The Home Secretary sought clarification of the monthly rate of intake. A commitment of 1000 over 21 years, is a rate of about 33 a month. But this runs in parallel with the remainder of our existing commitment of 468 over two years from May 1987,

the combined rate will be 40 per month. Home Office officials tell us that Mr Hurd is content to proceed on this basis.

(b) Mr Renton expressed concern about the poor standard of English language ability among the Vietnamese community here. We have taken this point up with the Hong Kong Government. They will be in contact with UNHCR about stepping up the English language training

CONFIDENTIAL

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