CONFIDENTIAL
FM HONG KONG
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
199
011501 MDHIAN 7265
CONFIDENTIAL
TOP COPY O DIST ?
HKD 243/12
FINL
ISTRY
12 OCT 1988
VICER
PA
ons
aken
TELNO 3808
OF 121145Z OCTOBER 88
198
YOUR TELNO 2641 : VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE : POSSIBLE UK RESETTLEMENT
COMMITMENT
MY TELNO 2633 CONTAINS DETAILED INFORMATION ON ENGLISH LANGUAGE
TRAINING FOR REFUGEES AS OF EARLY JULY.
2=
THE CURRENT SITUATION IS THAT PHYSICAL CONSTRAINTS AT SAN YICK
AND SHAM SHUI PO REFUGEE CENTRES HAVE TEMPORARILY REDUCED THE SCOPE
FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE TRAINING FOR ADULTS. HOWEVER, ADDITIONAL
SPACE WILL SOON BE AVAILABLE TO RESUME PREVIOUS ACTIVITIES AT THESE
TWO CENTRES. THIS BECOMES POSSIBLE WITH THE TRANSFER NEXT WEEK OF
SOME 1,400 SAN YICK RESIDENTS TO TUEN MUN AREA 46A AND THE
AVAILABLITY OF TWO EXTRA HUTS AT SHAM SHUI PO BY END OF THIS YEAR.
3.
BY NOVEMBER ALL REFUGEE CHILDREN WILL BE ATTENDING VIETNAMESE
AND ENGLISH CLASSES AT REFUGEE SCHOOLS. UNHCR HAS SET ITSELF
AMBITIOUS TARGETS FOR IMPROVING GENERAL EDUCATION STANDARDS IN
REFUGEE SCHOOLS. THESE INCLUDE HIGHER ENGLISH STANDARDS.
4. PARA 6 OF MY TELNO 2633 MAKES THE POINT THAT MOST RESETTLEMENT
COUNTRIES PROVIDE THEIR OWN LINGUISTIC AND ORIENTATION PROGRAMMES
PRIOR TO DEPARTURE AND IN THE COUNTRY OF RESETTLEMENT. THIS PROVIDES
BETTER CONTROL ON STANDARDS TO MEET THE SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS OF
RESETTLEMENT COUNTRIES. WOULD UK WISH TO CONSIDER A SIMILAR SYSTEM?
5. WE SHALL BE APPROACHING THE UNHCR ON THE BRC'S PROPOSAL TO
INCREASE THE INVOLVEMENT OF VOLUNTARY AGENCIES IN HONG KONG WITH
INDIVIDUALS SELECTED FOR RESETTLEMENT IN THE UK. WE DO NOT
FORESEE ANY PARTICULAR PROBLEM IN TERMS OF ARRANGING A STEPPED UP PROGRAMME FOR THOSE SELECTED FOR RESETTLEMENT IN THE UK, PARTICULARLY IF THIS WAS ASSOCIATED WITH AN INCREASE IN THE
RESETTLEMENT QUOTA IN THE U.K. IT COULD BE CARRIED OUT BY VOLUNTARY
AGENCIES UNDER THE AUSPICES OF THE UNHCR.
WILSON
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