C
GR 300
PRIORITY
CYPHER CAT A
FM WASHINGTON 162125Z
CONFIDENTIAL
CONFIDENTIAL
LIVED IN
19 JUL1976
51
DKK 263/548/
TOP COPY
TO PRIORITY FCO TELEGRAM NO 2455 OF 16 JULY 1976
NCAT
REF.
INFO HONG KONG UKMIS GENEVA RANGOON PEKING KUALA LUMPUR TOKYO
INFO SAVING HANOI
YOUR TELNO 1543: VIETNAMESE REFUGEES.
1. WE SPOKE AS REQUESTED IN PARAGRAPH 6 OF YOUR TELEGRAM UNDER REFERENCE TO ROSENTHAL (INDO-CHINA COUNTRY DIRECTOR, STATE DEPARTMENT) ON 16 JULY.
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2. ROSENTHAL SAID HE WAS AWARE OF THE PROBLEMS AND OF THE VISIT OF THE AMERICAN IMMIGRATION TEAM TO THE " AVA'' (HONG KONG TELNO 6712). HE SAID THAT IN THE US VIEW, THE REFUGEES CONSITUTED A
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PROBLEM WHICH WOULD HAVE TO BE SOLVED BY THE HONG KONG GOVERMENT AND THE UNHCR. SPEAKING PERSONALLY, HE SAID HE THOUGHT THE IDEA OF OFF-LOADING THE REFUGEES ON TO THE BURMESE OR THE JAPANESE WAS A SHORT-SIGHTED POLICY. THE USG UNDERSTOOD THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT'S DILEMMA, CAUSED BY THEIR POLICY OF RETURNING CHINESE REFUGEES TO CHINA AND WAS AWARE THAT THE UNHCR HAD NOT PROVED PARTICULARLY HELPFUL IN THE PAST. BUT THE AMERICANS THOUGHT NONETHELESS THAT THE CORRECT POLICY, BASED ON STANDARD INTERNATIONAL PRACTICE AND BASIC HUMANITARIAN CONSIDERATIONS, SHOULD BE TO ALLOW THE REFUGEES TO LAND AND TO PRESS THE UNHCR TO FIND A SOLUTION. THE U.S. WAS PREPARED TO MAKE REPRESENTATIONS TO THE UNHCR TO THIS END. INDEED THE US MISSION AT GENEVA WAS
ALREADY IN TOUCH WITH THEM.
3. THE UNHCR HAD BEEN SLOW TO DEAL WITH THE FIRST WAVE OF VIETNAMESE REFUGEES LAST YEAR. THEY HAD SEEN THE PROBLEM AS BASICALLY AN AMERICAN ONE. BUT THE PROSPECTS FOR ACTION BY THE UNHCR WERE NOW BETTER. THE PRESENT BATCH OF REFUGEES MIGHT BE
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CONFIDENTIAL
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