TNAG-1903-FCO40-2705-Hong-Kong-cabinet-meetings-on-Vietnamese-refugees-1990 — Page 57

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If any further Vietnamese were to be accepted for permanent

settl

tlement here, means would have to be explored for

be explored for ensuring settled in parts of the country where housing that they settled

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available.

f.

one-

સ્વતંત્ર

was

problem of Vietnamese refugees had already absorbed

of the budget of the Overseas Development

Agreement had

Administration for disaster relief and refugees.

a barracks

now also been reached on expenditure of up to £4.25 million

from the

the Reserve to provide tents and to

to convert

in Hong Kong. It would be sensible to take stock of any further requirements for public expenditure after the

Conference, and the Treasury was ready to talk to the Foreign

and Commonwealth office about this.

THE

PRIME

MINISTER,

agreed

Committee were

CONT

summ

that

was

the discussion, said that the

indefensible that Hong Kong,

which faced grave problems of its own, should have to bear the

burden of an

influx of migrants fo

any responsibilityhom neither it nor

the United

terminate the policy of

concerned unless the

three years; Processing

the

Kingdom had

The Foreign and Commonwealth Secretary should therefore inform the conference at the outset that the United Kingdom would feel obliged

first asylum as far as Hong Kong international community was ready to assume its responsibilities and

the Conference reached agreement on specified measures to resolve permanently the problem of the Vietnamese boat people. These measures were permanent resettlement of those with refugee status

by the international community within

establishment outside Hong Kong of a Regional Processing Centre

refugees; and the compulsory repatriation to Vi

of those

identified as non-refugees, backed by appropriate international

funding. A clear deadline should be set for achievement of these

The United Kingdom should

should be prepared to resettle a further 1,000 Vietnamese, all of whom should be bona fide refugees,

as proposed by the Foreign and Commonwealth Secretary,

Commonwealth Secretary, but his figure should not be exceeded. Officials should examine ways ensuring that

United Kingdom were directed

and remained

measures.

those entering the

in areas of the country where the problems

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for

L