TNAG-1844-FCO40-2619-House-of-Commons-Select-Committee-on-Foreign-Affairs-enquiry-1989 — Page 77

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TRANSCRIPT D: HONG KONG SELECT COMMITTEE MEETING

22 MAR 89

FOREIGN SECRETARY (CONTD));

I take Mr. Rowland's point, of course.

He makes a

legitimate point when he says: But they had independence as a

But for Hong Kong there was dependence, reabsorption

prospect".

into China,

>

the prospect.

CHAIRMAN:

I think our worry is that we do find, as you have

recognised, that the Hong Kong situation is unique, certainly in the history of the former British Empire and Commonwealth and indeed in all history as far as one can make out, and I think this

is a matter to which the Committee will wish to return.

Could we, though, as time is going by and you have been very patient in answering our questions, just turn to the question of UK policy towards the vexed matter of the Vietnamese boat people?

MR. LESTER:

As we understand it, perhaps the most urgent current problem in Hong Kong is the problem of the Vietnamese boat people and,

indeed, the conditions in which they live.

Bow confident are you of solving this problem by 1997 and do

you regard 1997 as a deadline for a solution?