TNAG-1802-FCO40-2562-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-refugees-resettlement-in-the-UK-1988 — Page 280

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Mr Gadoon, SEAD

21 SEPTEMBER 1988

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27 SEPTEMBER 1988

BONDWAY HOUSE LONDON SW8 LS)

3.9 BONDWAY. TEL: 01 582 6922

RECE

14 OCT 1988

REFUGEE AGENCIES ANNOUNCE PROPOSALS

OFFICER

INU

PA

Action Tāku

FOR SETTLEMENT OF VIETNAMESE

At a press conference next Tuesday (27 September), leading

British refugee agencies will put forward proposals for a

continuation of Britain's resettlement programme for Vietnamese

refugees from Hong Kong.

There are now 25,000 refugees from Vietnam in Hong Kong. 17,000

arrived this year alone. Faced with growing numbers of arrivals

with little hope of resettlement in the West, Hong Kong

introduced a "screening procedure" on 16 June this year. All

arrivals are now screened to distinguish between those who meet

the UN definition of a refugee, and those who do not. Hong Kong

plans to return those who fail to meet the criteria to Vietnam.

"The burden of having so many refugees is clearly unfair on Hong

Kong. It is both inhumane and impractical to hold so many

thousands of people in camps. Britain has to provide a lead to

Western resettlement countries by offering more places here for

the refugees, and by ensuring that proper safeguards exist for

those who are returned to Vietnam", says BRC Director, Martin

Barber. "Our proposals incorporate the lessons learnt from our

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