BACKGROUND NOTE
Refugees in Hong Kong
1. The British or Hong Kong Governments have approached some 20 governments on this matter, including all members of NATO except Eire, Norway, Greece, Turkey and Iceland. Canada has already offered to accept up to 200 of the refugees in Hong Kong and has indicated that it may increase on this number, perhaps substantially. Other governments have not yet committed themselves to numbers but may accept some with connections with their respective countries. Two potentially useful outlets in this regard are France, with whom 600 refugees claim to be connected, and the United States. An appeal from the UNHCR may produce some results; but there is a risk of a substantial residuum remaining in Hong Kong unless governments are prepared to take a liberal attitude.
2. The Home Secretary has said Britain is prepared to admit a number of refugees from Vietnam who have some previous connection or tie with the UK and that he will reconsider the position when he knows how many of these there are. He has promised to bear in mind the Secretary of State's point on this issue may well be
that the attitude of foreign governments influenced by what is done here.
CONFIDENTIAL
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