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RECORD OF A MEETING BETWEEN SIR JAMES MURRAY, PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE, UNITED KINGDOM MISSION, GENEVA, AND
MR MOCHTAR, INDONESIAN FOREIGN MINISTER, AT THE INDONESIAN MISSION ON TUESDAY 24 APRIL 1979
1. Sir James Murray explained that HMG had been watching with close attention the developments concerning a possible Special Processing Centre for refugees from Indo-China. He had been instructed to say that they thought it important that Hong Kong should be able to derive the same advantages from the establishment of such a centre as the other territories of first asylum in the area. Given its size Hong Kong was shouldering a burden at least as onerous as the ASEAN countries affected. Since this would be a project under international auspices, discrimination against Hong Kong would create an unfortunate impression both in the United Kingdom and in Hong Kong. The inclusion of Hong Kong in any scheme
would be bound to influence the attitude of the British Government
and indeed of the Hong Kong Government towards making a material
contribution to it
150/€
2. Mr Mochtar replied that he first wanted to clear up any misunderstanding about the exact nature of the centre. He regarded the recent "Daily Telegraph" articles which had described the project as an "Indonesian Centre" as naughty. Indonesia had offered ASEAN an island which could accommodate 10,000 refugees.
It would be run by UNHCR with special funds raised by them from the international community. The centre was for refugees who had been partially processed and for whom broad resettlement commitments had been made. It was designed to help mainly ASEAN; and he would have to discuss with his ASEAN colleagues any extension of that principle. Mr Mochtar did not want to hold out much hope for Hong Kong, for it was very likely that ASEAN, in particular Thailand and Malaysia, would say no. However, he would quite understand if the UK representative at the conference on 15 May in Jakarta were to say that because of their responsibility for Hong Kong the United Kingdom regretted that they could not give much help towards the centre. Sir James Murray, referring to Mr Mochtar's use of the word "mainly", said that the essential was that the UNHCR should be able
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