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Mr Wong SEAD
VIETNAMESE REFUGEES
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Ay
Fater pa
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1. We spoke about the suggestion in Mr Hilson's letter to you of 16 February that some of the as yet unused balance of the Hong Kong quota be diverted to Malaysia and you asked for a minute.
2. I cannot suggest that we react positively to the UNHCR's suggestion in the sense that Hong Kong will look on the balance as a door in Hong Kong which is open to the UK and designed to relieve them of Vietnamese refugees landed there, Hong Kong would no doubt regard themsleves as losers if any part of the quota was diverted for Malaysia's use. It is furthermore surprising that it should have been the UNHCR's representative in Kuala Lumpur, rather than the Malaysians themselves whose task one would expect it to be who approached the High Commission to make this request. If the Malaysians were to add their weight to
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Mr Sampatkumar, then we might consider the latters request further. But until they do, I think we should not.
23 March 1977
TJ David
Hong Kong Department K 245 233 4777
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