HOME OFFICE
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Our reference: IMG/75 58/1026/51 Your reference: HKK 243/1
J Thompson Esq.
Hong Kong Department
Foreign & Commonwealth Office
Downing Street
LONDON SW1
Dear Thompson
HKK 243/L
3 April 1978
WY NO. 51
- 4 APR 1978
DENK OFFICER
INDEX
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Beton Tikan #
I have seen your letter to Birt of 20 January about the possibility of the United Kingdom accepting some of the unplaced Vietnamese small boat refugees at present in Hong Kong. I understand that Birt has explained on the telephone that we wished first to establish our policy about Indo-Chinese small boat refugees rescued by United Kingdom registered ships before considering the Hong Kong suggestion.
I am afraid that some matters remain unresolved and that we are therefore still not in a position to give a firm response to your request. The question now outstanding is the general one of the funding of refugee matters, but we appreciate the force of the arguments you have put forward in favour of the United Kingdom offering to take some of the 200-odd Vietnamese small boat refugees in Hong Kong who have little prospect of being accepted by third countries and, subject to the outcome of the financial deliberations at present in train, we would hope eventually to make some positive response to your request.
I am sorry that all this has prevented us from doing so at this stage. I shall of course write to you more fully as soon as I am able, but meanwhile I have written as attached to Skinner to try to save a little time.
Yours sincerely
P.R. Jungle
P L Taylor