CONFIDENTIAL
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
London SW1A 2AH
I C Orr Esq
Government Secretariat
Hong Kong
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Date
26 October 1978
HKK 243/1
Work
REFUGEES FROM VIETNAM
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2674
RECEIVED IN REGISTRY NO. 51 27 OCT 1978
DESK OFMCER INDEX
No
PA
1.
Thank you for your letter of 18 October and for sending me copies of your earlier correspondence with Washington and UKMis Geneva on specific aspects of the refugee problems at your end.
The "Wellpark" Refugees
REGIO RY
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2. The recent evacuation to the UK from Taiwan of 346 refugees has indeed helped to bring the overall problem of refugees from Vietnam into greater prominence and, I hope, will result in an even wider appreciation in the UK of the particular difficulties you face in Hong Kong in respect of refugees. There were suggestions, as I am sure you can imagine, from several quarters (including from UNHCR) at the time that the "Wellpark" group should have been taken to Hong Kong for processing. There was little difficulty in resisting these suggestions since there is, in fact, already a wide understanding here of your problem. You should know (in case the thought did cross your mind!) that no such suggestion was made by the Home Office. The latter responded with great speed in agreeing to admit the "Wellpark" group into the UK and in setting emergency reception arrangements in train.
3. I think we ruffled ICEM's feathers in insisting on the charter arrangement for the group of 346. They wanted to move the refugees to Hong Kong and then on to the UK by scheduled airlines. So far as we are concerned, this was not a practical proposition given, among other things, the numbers involved, your own current difficulties and the attitude of the Taiwanese authorities. I had an opportunity, subsequently, to exchange views with James Stewart of ICEM (your tel no 1198 for which many thanks) who flew to London with the refugees. He is a charming man, practical and, so far as I could see, perfectly straightforward. He values highly his close cooperation with you.
/UNHCR