GR'S 75α
CONFIDENTIAL
CONFIDENTAL
ANBERRA 230730Z JAN 79
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
TELEGRAM NUMBER 51 OF 23 JANUARY
AND TO IMMEDIATE GOVERNOR HONG KONG
201 YOUR TELNO 36: VIETNAMESE REFUGEES
Nkk 24311
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1. I CALLED ON MR MACKELLAR, MINISTER FOR IMMIGRATION AND ETHNIC AFFAIRS, YESTERDAY AND LEFT WITH HIM A SPEAKING NOTE BASED ON YOUR TELEGRAM AND THE COPY OF A NOTE PREVIOUSLY DELIVERED TO THE DFA CONVEYING YOUR REQUEST.
2.
FROM THE CUTSET, MR MACKELLAR TOOK A HARD AND UNCOMPROMISING LINE. HE SAID HE HAD ALREADY ARRANGED FOR AUSTRALIA TO TAKE 200 OF THE REFUGEES ALREADY IN HONG KONG AS PART OF THE NEW AUATRALIAN OFFER OF 1,500 THAT HE ANNOUNCED AT THE UNHCR MEETING IN GENEVA LAST MONTH BRINGING THE TOTAL OF THE AUSTRALIAN PROGRAMME RO 10,500. THIS WAS THE BEST HE COULD DO. HIS PRIMARY AIM HAD TO BE TO STOP THE BOATS. AUSTRALIA, WHICH WAS BEING INUNDATED WITH REQUESTS FROM ALL SIDES, HAD ALREADT ACCEPTED 16,700 VIETNAMESE REFUGEES; MORE PER CAPITA THAN ANY OTHER COUNTRY. OTHER COUNTRIES, NOT EXCLUDING THE ... UK, BUT ESPECIALLY COUNTRIES LIKE THE SCANDINAVIAN COUNTRIES, SHOULD PULL THEIR WEIGHT.
3. I SAID THAT THIS RESPONSE WAS MOST DISAPPOINTING, IN VIEW OF AUSTRALIA'S RESOURCES AND IMMIGRATION REQUIREMENTS. OUR OWN NEW ANNOUNCEMENT OF 1500 PLACES FOR INDO-CHINA WHEN ADDED TO OUR OTHER MANY COMMONWEALTH IMMIGRATION COMMITMENTS IN OUR SMALL ISLAND WAS HIGHLY CREDITABLE. I ALSO EXPLAINED THAT AUSTRALIA HAD NOT BEEN SINGLED OUT AS A RECIPIENT OF OUR PRESENT REQUEST. NOR WERE WE ASKING FOR SPECIAL TREATMENT FOR THE HUEY FONG AS SUCH BUT FOR HELP IN CLEARING SOME OF THE LARGE BACKLOG IN HONG KONG WHICH CONSTITUTED NOT ONLY A SPECIALLY ACUTE PROBLEM WHEN ADDED TO HONG KONG'S CHINESE INTAKE BUT ALSO THE KIND OF ORDERLY CUEUE WHICH AUSTRALIA LOOKED FOR ELSEWHERE. 1 ASKED WHETHER A HIGHER QUOTA FOR HONG KONG COULD NOT BE PROVIDED OUT OF THE NEW 1,500 PLACES. HE WAS NOT HOWEVER TO BE MOVED BEYOND SAYING THAT HE MIGHT BE ABLE TO MAKE ANOTHER OFFER AT AN UNSPECIFIED DATE. AT PRESENT HE COULDDFJDPMA RYRE TO ANYBODY. HIS
CONFIDENTAL
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