TNAG-1903-FCO40-2705-Hong-Kong-cabinet-meetings-on-Vietnamese-refugees-1990 — Page 46

CONFIDENTIAL

THIS DOCUMENT IS THE PROPERTY OF HER BRITANNIC MAJESTY'S GOVERNMENT

OD (K) (89)5

2 OCTOBER 1989

COPY NO: 6

CABINET

DEFENCE AND OVERSEA POLICY COMMITTEE

SUB-COMMITTEE ON HONG KONG

THE VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE

Memorandum by the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth

Affairs

V

INTRODUCTION

1.

On 29 June, OD (K) considered a Memorandum (OD (K) (89)3) on the

outcome of the International Conference on Indochinese Refugees

(ICIR) in Geneva on 13/14 June and follow-up action.

This paper seeks agreement that we should prepare for mandatory repatriation of

boat people from Hong Kong to Vietnam after the third meeting of the

ICIR Steering Committee (SC3) on 16/17 October.

BACKGROUND

Since

2. The situation in Hong Kong has continued to deteriorate.

OD (K) last met, boat people have been arriving in large numbers:

4282 in July and 4481 in August. The numbers have declined in

September (1029 for the month) in accordance with the usual seasonal

pattern. There are now over 56,000 boat people in the territory, of

whom 32,849 have arrived in 1989 alone. Of the total, 13,213 are

refugees, who will be resettled. Most of the rest still await

screening; the results so far indicate that about 13% are likely to

qualify as genuine refugees. So far 2,051 have been definitively

screened out after appeal. That figure is increasing at the rate of

1

CONFIDENTIAL