DSR 11C (Revised 5/87)
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2-3 years, provided that others are prepared to
Contribute commensurately.
I enclose the text of
Mr Eggar's statement to the House of Commons, setting out
bur intentions. Provided that the necessary conditions
can be met, our new resettlement programme would be
introduced with immediate effect and the rate of
resettlement increased from 20 to 40 per month. I hope
that in this way we shall stimulate international action
on the widest possible front in a concerted effort to
tackle Hong Kong's refugee problem.
In Confidence
You refer in your letter to our acceptance of people
from Vietnam under the Orderly Departure Programme.
Those who came here under this programme are entitled to
do so under the normal family reunion criteria in the
Immigration Rules. These are precisely the people who
might otherwise resort to clandestine departures from
Vietnam to join their families, thereby exacerbating the
problem of boat people arrivals in Hong Kong and
elsewhere in the region. There is no question of our
they
accepting them at the expense of resettlement of refugees
from Hong Kong.
There are no easy solutions to the problem of
Vietnamese boat people. It will take time and patience
before it can be fully resolved. But I hope this letter
will reassure you that we will continue in the future, as
we have in the past, to give Hong Kong our full support
in tackling it.
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