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PP WELLINGTON
GR 200
CYPHER/CAT A
FM FCO 141740Z
CONFIDENTIAL
LIST
REF.
NEX
REF.
TO PRIORITY WELLINGTON TELNO 152 OF 14 MAY.
FOLLOWING TELEGRAM NOW REPEATED TO YOU AT REQUEST OF DEPARTMENT WAS RECEIVED FROM HONG KONG TELNO 19 OF 14 MAY TO BRUSSELS.
INFO PRIORITY FCO CANBERRA WASHINGTON STOCKHOLM OTTAWA PEKING SINGAPORE (SAIGON UNIT), MANILA.
FCO TELNO 155 TO DUBLIN OF 10 MAY. VIETNAMESE REFUGEES.
SOME OF THE APPROXIMATELY 4,000 SOUTH VIETNAMESE NOW TEMPORARILY ACCOMMODATED IN HONG KONG ARE THOUGHT TO HOLD BELGIAN PASSPORTS. WE HAVE INFORMED BELGIAN CONSUL-GENERAL. HE HAS ALSO BEEN TOLD THAT
FROM OUR PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATIONS IT SEEMS THAT AS MANY AS 62 OF
THE REFUGEES CLAIM SOME KIND OF CONNECTION WITH BELGIUM AND
THAT AT LEAST 25 HAVE SAID THAT THEY WOULD BE WILLING TO SETTLE
FINALLY IN BELGIUM IF GIVEN THE CHANCE.
2. BELGIAN CONSULATE-GENERAL ARE BEING GIVEN ALL ASSISTANCE IN
INVESTIGATING THESE CLAIMS. SUBJECT TO FCO APPROVAL, WE SHOULD BE GRATEFUL IF YOU WOULD DRAW THE ATTENTION OF APPROPRIATE BELGIAN
AUTHORITIES TO OUR URGENT NEED FOR HELP IN RESETTLING THESE
VIETNAMESE REFUGEES.
3. IN 1973 HONG KONG HAD TO ACCEPT APPROXIMATELY 74,000 IMMIGRANTS (LEGAL AND ILLEGAL) FROM CHINA AND ALTHOUGH THE FLOW HAS SINCE BEEN SOMEWHAT REDUCED, IT IS STILL RUNNING AT WELL OVER 30,000 PER ANNUM.
CALLAGHAN
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