TNAG-2233-FCO40-3206-Visits-by-the-Office-of-Members-of-the-Executive-and-Legisla-1991 — Page 58

CONFIDENTIAL

123007

MDHIAN 0033

SOVEREIGN POWER, AND GIVEN ITS RESPONSIBILITY FOR QUOTE FORCING UNQUOTE HONG KONG TO ACCEPT FIRST ASYLUM, HMG SHOULD PAY A MUCH LARGER SHARE OF THE COSTS OF MAINTAINING AND SCREENING VIETNAMESE MIGRANTS. MARTIN LEE, IN A SPEECH STRONGLY CRITICAL OF HMG, SAID THAT, FOR ITS OWN ENTIRELY SELF-SERVING REASONS, THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT HAD SOUGHT TO PLACE THE ENTIRE RESPONSIBILITY ON HONG KONG'S SHOULDERS. HE ARGUED THAT SINCE HMG ALONE COULD DECIDE TO END FIRST ASYLUM, IT WAS FOR THE U.K. TO FOOT THE BILL TO CARE FOR THE VIETNAMESE: IF THEY REFUSED TO ACCEPT THIS LOGIC, FUNDS SHOULD BE DOCKED FROM HONG KONG'S CONTRIBUTION TO THE DEFENCE COSTS AGREEMENT.

5. MOST MEMBERS SHOWED THEMSELVES AWARE OF THE DIFFICULTIES ASSOCIATED WITH ABANDONING THE FIRST ASYLUM POLICY, AND WERE CONSCIOUS THAT IT WOULD NOT AT PRESENT SERVE HONG KONG'S INTERESTS. MARTIN BARROW, PAUL CHENG AND STEPHEN CHEONG, IN PARTICULAR, LINKED THIS ISSUE TO OUR LOBBYING FOR THE RETENTION OF CHINA'S MFN STATUS. SOME, HOWEVER, SPOKE PASSIONATELY FOR THE ABANDONMENT OF FIRST ASYLUM, CLAIMING TO BE REPRESENTING THE VIEWS OF THE MAIN THE STREET (AS THEY UNDOUBTEDLY WERE). AMONG THESE WERE TAM YIU-CHUNG AND PON CHIU-FAI, BOTH WITH LEFT WING

CONNECTIONS.

6.

IN REPLY, ACTING SFORS (STRACHAN) REMINDED MEMBERS OF HONG KONG'S GOOD RECORD ON FIRST ASYLUM, AND THE MORAL, PRACTICAL AND POLITICAL DIFFICULTIES THAT WOULD BE INVOLVED IF THIS WAS CANCELLED. HONG KONG'S ABILITY TO ACT UNILATERALLY, EVEN WITH HMG'S SUPPORT, WAS EXTREMELY LIMITED. HE EMPHASISED THE NEED FOR OTHER COUNTRIES TO INVEST MORE POLITICAL WILL AND RESOURCES IN SOLVING THE PROBLEM AS HONG KONG HAD DONE FOR THE PAST 16 YEARS. THE MAJOR DIFFICULTY FACING US WAS THAT WE COULD NOT SEND THOSE SCREENED OUT BACK TO VIETNAM. THUS WE WERE UNABLE TO IMPLEMENT THE CPA IN FULL. STRACHAN DREW ON THE MAIN POINTS IN THE PRESS RELEASE AGREED FOLLOWING THE WASHINGTON TALKS. HE SAID THAT WE WERE DOING ALL WE COULD TO ENCOURAGE CONTACT BETWEEN VIETNAM AND THE OUTSIDE WORLD. WE WERE ENCOURAGING TRADE AS WELL AS AIR LINKS AND WERE PREPARED TO MAKE MORE CONVENIENT THE ISSUE OF VISAS FOR HONG KONG'S ENTREPRENEURS AND TOURISTS TO VISIT VIETNAM.

7. IN REPLY TO ALL THE CRITICISM THAT HMG SHOULD DO MORE TO HELP HONG KONG, STRACHAN QUOTED BURNS AS SAYING IN WASHINGTON THAT THE PROBLEM OF VIETNAMESE MIGRANTS WAS QUOTE AT THE TOP OF HMG'S AGENDA UNQUOTE. WE HAD ENCOURAGED HMG TO SPEED UP IMPLEMENTATION OF ITS COMMITMENT TO TAKE 2 000 REFUGEES BEFORE

2

PAGE CONFIDENTIAL