TNAG-2604-FCO40-3792-Detention-of-Hong-Kong-residents-in-China-1992 — Page 61

SECRET

FM HONG KONG

TO DESKBY 26123OZ F C ON

TELNO 902

OF 26105OZ MARCH 92

FOR HKD

16

YOUR TELNO 553:

SECRET

HKD 015/1

ZB

21

026654

MDHIAN 8271

TOP COPY Q DIST?

pa

J26/2

CALL ON PRIME MINISTER'S OFFICE BY MR STEPHEN

NG AND MR LAU SHAN-CHING

1.

IT IS NOT/NOT THE CASE THAT CONSULS-GENERAL BASED IN HONG KONG MET IN 1989 AND AGREED A QUOTA OF CHINESE REFUGEES WHOM THEIR COUNTRIES WOULD ACCEPT FOR SETTLEMENT FROM HONG KONG. THE KERNEL OF TRUTH IN THIS ASSERTION IS THAT WE DID HOLD SEVERAL MEETINGS WITH THOSE CONSULS-GENERAL WHO WE THOUGHT WOULD BE MOST DISPOSED TO HELP WITH THE FLOW OF CHINESE ASYLUM SEEKERS POST 4 JUNE 1989. NO QUOTA WAS ASKED OF, OR AGREED, BY ANY COUNTRY. IN PRACTICE WHAT WE DID WAS CIRCULATE TO THEM A LIST OF THOSE WHOM WE HAD ALLOWED TO REMAIN BUT WHO EITHER WISHED TO MOVE ON FROM HONG KONG, OR WHOM WE THOUGHT IT WOULD BE POLITICALLY DANGEROUS TO HAVE REMAIN HERE. SOME COUNTRIES WERE MORE GENEROUS THAN OTHERS IN THE NUMBERS THEY SUBSEQUENTLY TOOK OFF OUR HANDS.

2=

FOR YOUR INFORMATION THE UP TO DATE FIGURES SINCE 4 JUNE 1989 ARE AS FOLLOWS:

NUMBER OF APPLICANTS ALLOWED TO REMAIN IN HONG KONG (IE. NOT REPATRIATED):

212

NUMBER SETTLED IN HONG KONG: 100 (SQUARE BRACKETS ON)

NB. SOME OF THESE MAY HAVE MADE THEIR OWN WAY ELSEWHERE WITHOUT OUR KNOWLEDGE. (SQUARE BRACKETS OFF).

NUMBER AWAITING RESETTLEMENT OVERSEAS:

NUMBER TAKEN BY

1

USA:

55

FRANCE:

13

CANADA:

12

AUSTRALIA:

4

U.K.:

11

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