TNAG-1802-FCO40-2562-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-refugees-resettlement-in-the-UK-1988 — Page 246

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FM FCO

TO IMMEDIATE HANOI

TELNO 258

OF 28124OZ OCTOBER 88

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ніко HKD 243/12

om u

D

070720

MDHOAN 7722

OUR TELNO 192, YOUR TELNO 322 LETTER FAIR/HUM OF 20 OCTOBER:

ODP

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MRS FAIR'S LETTER UNDER REFERENCE (WHICH WE TRUST WILL BY NOW HAVE REACHED YOU) REFLECTS A DEEPLY FELT CONCERN ON THE PART OF THE HOME OFFICE AND THE LOCAL AUTHORITIES INVOLVED ABOUT THE UNPREDICTABILITY AND IRREGULARITY OF THE FLOW OF ODP ARRIVALS IN THE UK. WE SHARE THIS CONCERN.

2. WE TAKE YOUR POINT (YOUR TELNO 329) THAT THE FIGURES FOR JULY AND AUGUST WERE EXCEPTIONALLY HIGH. BUT WE ARE CONCERNED THAT, WITH SOME 1,000 UK VISA PROMISE LETTERS OUTSTANDING, THERE COULD BE A REPETITION OF THIS IN THE COMING MONTHS. THIS COULD CAUSE SEVERE PRACTICAL DIFFICULTIES -. THE RECEPTION FACILITIES ARE LIMITED AND CANNOT BE EASILY AND QUICKLY EXPANDED AND COULD HAVE WIDER REPERCUSSIONS IN TERMS OF ATTITUDES IN THIS COUNTRY TO THE VIABILITY OF ODP. AT WORST, WE COULD NOT EXCLUDE A SITUATION IN WHICH RECEPTION FACILITIES WERE OVERWHELMED AND ODP HAD TO BE SUSPENDED UNTIL SPACE BECAME AVAILABLE.

3.

WE CONTINUE TO SEE THE NEED FOR SOME KIND OF MECHANISM TO PREVENT WIDE FLUCTUATIONS IN ODP ARRIVALS. SIMPLY KNOWING IN ADVANCE THAT A SURGE IN ARRIVALS IS IN THE PIPELINE WOULD NOT HELP BECAUSE OF THE LIMITED PROCESSING CAPACITY AVAILABLE (SEE PARA 1 ABOVE). COPIES OF EXIT PERMIT LISTS (PARA 3 OF YOUR TELNO 329) HELP TO ALERT US TO THE PROBLEM BUT DO NOT ASSIST IN RESOLVING IT.

4.

AGAINST THIS BACKGROUND WE WOULD BE GRATEFUL IF YOU COULD LOOK AGAIN AT POSSIBLE WAYS OF REGULATING THE FLOW.

AS WE SEE IT, THERE ARE A NUMBER OF OPTIONS:

(A) WE COULD SEEK THE COOPERATION OF THE VIETNAMESE AUTHORITIES IN CONTROLLING THE RATE OF DEPARTURE. WE UNDERSTAND THE PRESENTATIONAL DIFFICULTIES OF THIS APPROACH, BUT BELIEVE THAT IT SHOULD BE POSSIBLE TO ARGUE THAT A DESIRE TO REGULATE THE FLOW TO MATCH OUR RECEPTION FACILITIES IS NOT INCONSIST WITH OUR COMMITMENT TO MAINTAIN AND FURTHER DEVELOP ODP.

(B) WE COULD ENLIST THE HELP OF UNHCR, DEPLOYING SIMILAR ARGUMENTS TO THOSE IN PARA 4(A) ABOVE.

(C) WE COULD EXPLORE THE POSSIBILITY OF SOME KIND OF MONTHLY

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