TNAG-1911-FCO40-2715-Financial-assistance-from-the-UK-Government-to-Vietnamese-re-1989 — Page 23

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shut down in due course. A similar financing problem

vis-a-vis the Legislative Council arises in this case.

The Hong Kong Government judge, however, that LegCo would

give approval for the other 50%, on the assumption that

mandatory repatriation starts soon. The Hong Kong Government estimate that £13 million will be required

from us, £5 million falling in the current financial

year. The case for this expenditure is set out at

Annex B.

(c) Mandatory repatriation: per capita payments

7. There is sufficient provision for per capita payments for mandatory repatriation in the current financial year (see paragraphs 2-3 above). Our agreement with the Vietnamese provides for per capita payments of $620

(£390). On this basis the sum we have set aside for the

current financial year would cover the mandatory

repatriation of about 3,000 people an ambitious target.

We estimate that up to 40,000 of the boat people now in

Hong Kong will eventually be screened out as non

refugees. We hope that a substantial number will volunteer to go back (in which case per capita payments would fall to the UNHCR). But we must plan on the worst case assumption that all those screened out will have to be returned compulsorily by means of a bilateral

programme and that payments of at least $620 per person

will be needed. On that basis, there could be a

requirement, spread over a number of years, for up to

£14 million, although our objective would be to move away

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