CONFIDENTIAL
香港總督府
SCR 1/4821/75
Das Petr.
RECEIVED IN
RE^ISTRY No. 51
CONTR AUG 1975
247
Mi O'Keyle
·GOVERNMENT HOUSE
DENTIAL
IKKIRAL
HONG KONG
24th July 1975
VIETNAMESE REFUGEES IN HONG KONG
ил
29/7
Midalton Mr Walton
Should we recommend
that the Suys have a word with
We were grateful for the interventions Ar vinnige
پنسار
in Helsebi?
м
which you made on our behalf earlier this summer to encourage the Americans to take some of the refugees from Vietnam who had landed in Hong Kong (your telegrams 136 Nos 1711 and 1825 of 14 and 23 May refer). I have tried
to avoid bothering you further about this problem, which is small by comparison with the size of the overall refugee problem facing the US Administration after the fall of Vietnam. Unfortunately, we are becoming increasingly concerned about it, partly because of the way in which the Americans have set about trying to help us.
(40
2.
The general picture was described in Donald's letter of 4 June to Hong Kong and Indian Ocean Department which was copied to Washington and Drace- Francis' letter of 22 July also copied to you gives the latest position. Our major difficulty is that about 1,150 refugees who arrived in Hong Kong on the "CLARA MAERSK" on 4 May, were given papers by the Americans over two months ago granting them conditional entry to the US pending verification of their claims to have connections . there. However, only 61 of these refugees have actually left Hong Kong. (The other 67 taken by the Americans so far came in earlier by air and were mainly connected with Air America.) I understand that even those 200 who already have sponsors in America ready to house them and who would not therefore have to go into camps - have not been able to leave. Even now there is little evidence that the flow is likely to be speeded up in the near future.
3.
This would not create such a headache for us if it were not that we have already received three teams of American officials who have been through the camps processing applications to enter the US and inevitably raising the expectations of the refugees. After the
His Excellency the Hon. Sir Peter Ramsbotham, KCMG, British Embassy,
Washington.
CONFIDEN. PA