7448 D073840 200M 8/74 Cr.P.C. 839/3
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DRAFT
SUBMISSION
SECURITY CLASSIFICATION
Top Secret.
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Confidential.
To:-
Mr Male
Mr Wilford
PS to Lord Goronwy-Roberts
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Unclassified.
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SEAD
UN Dept
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VIETNAMESE REFUGEES IN HONG KONG: UNHCR INVOLVEMENT
In paragraph 4 of his submission of 15 May Mr O'Keeffe raised the question of how we might approach the problem of UNHCR involvement in the resettlement of Vietnamese refugees in Hong Kong.
2.
Subsequently we asked Hong Kong if they would like to reassess their views on likely Chinese reaction to UNHCR involvement in this matter. In reply, both Hong Kong and Peking took the view that the Chinese might well object to the UNIICR being directly involved in dealing with the Vietnamese refugees in Hong Kong, but that they probably would not object to the ICEM processing the refugees on behalf of the UNHCR. (ICLM are a small refugee organisation based in Hong Kong responsible for processing European emigrants from China. They have kept a watching brief for the UNHCR in Hong Kong since his office closed there in 1972). However, our Mission in Geneva have made the point that the UNHCR might not wish to use the ICEM channel.
3. If we allow the UNHCR to become directly involved in the processing of Vietnamese refugees in Hong Kong, there is a risk that this could provoke
an adverse Chinese reaction. Against this, however, must be set the fact that the UNHCR is already involved in the fate of the refugees, both through his own interest and through the fact that certain governments only seem prepared to consider taking Vietnamese refugees from Hong Kong if this is done under the aegis of the UNHCR. This is true of the
Danes and may well be true of the Australians. The
/UNHCR's