TNAG-1908-FCO40-2712-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-refugees-voluntary-and-mandatory-repat-1989 — Page 176

CONFIDENTIAL

FM WASHINGTON

TO

IMMEDIATE FCO

TELNO 2978

CONFIDENTIAL

010406 MDHIAN 4956

MIE

245

112

OF 162012Z NOVEMBER 89

INFO ROUTINE HONG KONG, HANOI, UKMIS GENEVA

MIPT: DRAFT LETTER TO KEY CONGRESSMEN

1.

I AM WRITING TO EXPLAIN TO YOU PERSONALLY THE BACKGROUND TO THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT'S DECISION TO REPATRIATE ILLEGAL VIETNAMESE IMMIGRANTS IN HONG KONG.

2.

AS I AM SURE YOU ARE AWARE, HONG KONG HAS PROVIDED FIRST ASYLUM FOR VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE SINCE 1979. THERE ARE NOW OVER SQUARE BRACKETS BEGIN BLANK SQUARE BRACKETS END VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE IN HONG KONG, A TERRITORY WITH A POPULATION OF 5.7 MILLION AND A LAND MASS OF LESS THAN 300 SQ MILES. OVER SQUARE BRACKETS BEGIN BLANK SQUARE BRACKETS END OF THESE VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE HAVE ARRIVED THIS YEAR.

3. SINCE JUNE 1988 ALL VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE ARRIVING IN HONG KONG HAVE BEEN SCREENED TO DETERMINE WHETHER THEY QUALIFY FOR RESETTLEMENT AS REFUGEES UNDER THE 1951 UN CONVENTION ON REFUGEES. SCREENING HAS BEEN CONDUCTED WITH THE FULL COOPERATION OF THE UNHCR IN ACCORDANCE WITH INTERNATIONALLY ACCEPTED STANDARDS AND PROCEDURES. OF THE SQUARE BRACKETS BEGIN BLANK SQUARE BRACKETS END VIETNAMESE WHO HAVE BEEN SCREENED TO DATE, SQUARE BRACKETS BEGIN BLANK SQUARE BRACKETS END HAVE BEEN FOUND TO QUALIFY AS REFUGEES. THERE IS, NO

QUESTION OF RETURNING THESE TO VIETNAM: THEY WILL BE RESETTLED ELSEWHERE IN THE WORLD AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. AS YOU MAY KNOW, UNHCR IS CURRENTLY WORKING ON A FEASIBILITY STUDY FOR A REFUGEE PROCESSING CENTRE IN THE PHILIPPINES, TO HANDLE THOSE SCREENED IN AS REFUGEES AWAITING RESETTLEMENT. UNFORTUNATELY SUCH PEOPLE CONSTITUTE ONLY A VERY SMALL PROPORTION OF THE BOAT PEOPLE IN

KONG.

HONG

4.

THE PRESENCE OF SO MANY BOAT PEOPLE IN HONG KONG CONSTITUTES AN ENORMOUS BURDEN FOR THE TERRITORY. THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT HAS DEVOTED VERY CONSIDERABLE RESOURCES TO COPING WITH THIS PROBLEM. BUT THE PROSPECT OF ANOTHER INFLUX OF REFUGEES DURING THE SAILING SEASON WHICH BEGINS IN FEBRUARY HAS

MADE ACTION TO DEAL WITH THOSE CONCERNED INEVITABLE. OVER THE YEARS, THE UNITED STATES HAS BEEN ESPECIALLY GENEROUS IN TAKING IN SOUTH VIETNAMESE. BUT MOST OF THE BOAT PEOPLE NOW IN HONG

KONG ARE FROM THE NORTH. THEY MOSTLY WISH TO COME TO THE UNITED

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