CONFIDENTIAL
GR 450
PRIORITY
CYPHER/CAT A
FM HONG KONG 190945Z
CONFIDENTIAL
RECEIVED IN
REGISTRY NO. 51
M9 JUL1976
NICK 243/5W,
INFO SAVING HANOI (VIENTIANE PLEASE PASS).
TO PRIORITY F C O TELNO 717 OF 19 JULY INFO PRIORITY WASHINGTON, UKMIS GENEVA, RANGOON." ROUTINE PEKING, KUALA LUMPUR AND TOKYO,
LART
NEXT
REF.
IOP
WASHINGTON TELNO. 2455 TO YOU AND MY TELNO. 712:
VIETNAMESE REFUGEES,
(61)
46)
ROSENTHAL'S REACTION IS DISAPPOINTING, SINCE THERE IS NO
INDICATION THAT THE UNITED STATES WILL BE WILLING TO TAKE THIS GROUP
OF REFUGEES OR EVEN SOME OF THEM.
¿
2. ROSENTHAL WAS RIGHT, HOWEVER, IN SAYING THAT THE PRESENT BATCH IS A ''TEST CASE'', BUT IT IS PRECISELY BECAUSE THERE WILL CERTAINLY BE MORE REFUGEES THAT WE THINK THERE SHOULD BE A COHERENT MULTI-NATIONAL POLICY OF WHICH ANY ACTION TAKEN BY THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT WOULD BE ONLY A SMALL PART. WE HAVE A PARTICULAR INTEREST IN DISCOURAGING PEOPLE FROM LEAVING VIETNAM IN THE HOPE OF GETTING ASYLUM IN HONG KONG. PERHAPS YOU COULD STIMULATE THE UNHCR TO GIVE SOME CLEARER INDICATION OF THE PRACTICAL STEPS HE HAS TAKEN AND WILL BE TAKING TO FIND PERMANENT HOMES FOR THIS AND SUBSEQUENT BATCHES OF REFUGEES ELSEWHERE? CAN HE GIVE ANY ASSURANCE THAT ANY GOVERNMENT EXCEPT POSSIBLY THE U.S. GOVERNMENT WILL GIVE HOMES TO ANY OF THE
997
3. SO FAR, UNHCR APPEARS TO HAVE SENT ONE TELEGRAM TO ONE OF HIS AGENTS IN RANGOON (PARAGRAPH 2 OF UKMIS GENEVA'S TELNO. 208 TO YOU). THE ''AVA'' ARRIVED IN THE VICINITY OF HONG KONG ON 7 JULY. THE REFUGEES WERE PICKED UP AS LONG AGO AS 4 JULY,
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14.
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