TNAG-1802-FCO40-2562-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-refugees-resettlement-in-the-UK-1988 — Page 296

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CONFIDENTIAL

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Secretary agreed in principle to go along with the Secretary of

State's proposal for an additional commitment of 1,000 resettlement

places in the UK to be taken up at a rate of 40 per month

(subject

to examination of the funding aspects). He was content that the

Secretary of State should minute the Prime Minister in that sense.

But he baulked at the idea of a joint minute.

3.

Since there have been a number of positive developments which

help us to make the case for an increased resettlement commitment:

4.

(i) the trend in arrivals has dropped dramatically in

September;

(ii)

(iii)

talks with the Vietnamese on repatriation are under way;

250 boat people have volunteered to return to Vietnam.

The British Refugee Council (BRC) have written to the Home Secretary pressing HMG to extend our resettlement commitment from 20 to 60 per month for an initial period of two years (ie a

commitment of 1440 places). (The BRC have also made a separate

approach to the Secretary of State on which I shall submit on 3

October).

5. The meeting provides an opportunity to go over the ground again with the Home Secretary. The positive developments since the summer strengthen our hand in encouraging him to agree to a joint

minute to the Prime Minister and colleagues.

6. The Home Office have separately raised with us problems they have experienced in handling unexpectedly large numbers of arrivals from Vietnam under the Orderly Departures Programme (ODP). Monthly figures were 20-30 from October 1987 to June 1988, 111 in July, about 50 in August, but are expected to decline to about 20 in

September. I understand Home Office officials are satisfied that the position has now stabilised. But they may nonetheless seek to limit the size of any new commitment to resettle boat people from