328
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Hale 243 2
FI UKMIS GENEVA 281735Z FEB
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
TELEGRAM NO 88 OF 33 FEB 1979
INMEDIATE HONG KONG AND KANILA
AND SAVING TO HANOI
No : Jalz
YOUR TELNO 35: SKYLUCK AND TUNG AN
1. I CALLED ON THE HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGEES THIS
AFTERNOON, AND EXPLAINED THE VERY SERIOUS PROBLEM FACED BY
LONG VONG. AS INSTRUCTED I URGED HIM TO MAKE A SPECIAL
APPEAL TO COUNTRIES OF POTENTIAL RESETTLEMENT TO TAKE A QUOTA OF VIETNAMESE REFUGEES FROM THE COLONY,
HARTLING WAS VERY SYMPATHETIC AND SAID THAT AS USUAL THE HONG KONG AUTHORITIES WERE BEHAVING MOST DECENTLY IN
THE QUOTE SKYLUCK CASE UN UOTE. HE FULLY RECOGNISED THE SPECIAL DIFFICULTIES OF HONG KONG. IT WAS NOT UNHCRS .POLICY
IN MAKING APPEALS TO SINGLE OUT. ANY OF THE AREAS AFFECTED HE HAD HOWEVER TODAY SENT A CABLE TO THE FOREIGN MINISTERS OF RESETTLEMENT COUNTRIES (INCLUDING YOURSELF) URGING THAT
THE EARLIEST STEPS BE TAKEN TO ACCELERATE RESETTLEMENT OF
SOUTH EAST ASIA REFUGEES. THE CABLE EXPRESSES ANXIETY THAT THE ACTUAL MOVEMENT OF REFUGEES FROM SOUTH EAST ASIA HAD NOT
KEPT PACE WITH THE UOTAS ANNOUNCED AND POINTED OUT THAT RE-
SETTLEMENT WAS LONER IN JANUARY 1979 THAN IN DECEMBER 1978.
3. HARTLING WENT ON TO SAY THAT DISAPPOINTINGLY THE US HAD
TAKEN ONLY 4,250 INDO-CHINA REFUGEES IN JANUARY COMPARED TO THEIR UNDERTAKING OF 7,000 PER MONTH. HE HOPED THEY WOULD TAKE MORE FROM HONG KONG. HE GAVE ME THE CLEAR IMPRESSION THAT, ALTHOUGH HE COULD NOT SINGLE OUT HONG KONG'S NEEDS PUBLICLY, HE AND HIS STAFF WOULD DEVOTE VERY SPECIAL ATTENTION TO THEM.
14. AS REGARDS
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