TNAG-1802-FCO40-2562-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-refugees-resettlement-in-the-UK-1988 — Page 238

3.

In May 1987 the Home Secretary announced a commitment to resettle 468 named refugees from Hong Kong over 2 years, at a rate of about 20 per month. Since then the number of boat people has trebled. and the rate of intake from the major resettlement

countries, has declined.

4.

Our record of resettlement of Indo-Chinese refugees since

1979 is an honourable one. Our performance on resettlement from Hong Kong is particularly creditable. But we believe the dramatic increase in Hong Kong's refugee population calls for a

new initiative, consistent with the efforts we have made in the

past. We think this is necessary in support of the Hong Kong

government, as a humanitarian response to an otherwise

intractable problem and in the hope of stimulating substantial

new commitments from others.

5. A new initiative by the UK cannot guarantee matching offers

from elsewhere. But bilateral contacts suggest strongly that we

cannot hope for new Commitments from other countries, in

particular the US, Canada and Australia, without giving a lead

ourselves. They will expect any commitment to be commensurate with the scale of the problem and with our special responsibility

for Hong Kong.

6. There is substantial pressure in Hong Kong for us to make a move. The issue is being seen as an important test of our commitment to the territory. In this country there is a

significant body of opinion (the voluntary agencies, Parliament, the media) which believes we should do more. Internationally, attention is now focussing on all aspects of the boat people

problem including resettlement: there are moves within ASEAN to hold an international conference on the problem next spring.

time is ripe for us to act.

The

7. In the past one powerful argument against a new resettlement commitment has been the fear that this would induce even greater

numbers of people to leave Vietnam in the hope of resettlement in