GAZINE I ISLAND LAD
Foreign and Commonwealth Office London SW1A 2AH
HKK 243/1
REJEIVIO
DESK OYHLER INDEX
NO.
Telephone 01-233 8631
PA
܂
RY
574
ina Town
J25.4 Athe
V McGee Esq
FAO Department
Ministry of Overseas Development
29 Bressenden Place
LONDON SW1
Your reference
Our reference
Date 25 April 1979
ISLAND TRANSIT CENTRE IN INDONESIA FOR REFUGEES
568
1. I sent you separately a copy of a letter dated 11 April from our Ambassador in Jakarta reporting the Indonesian Foreign Minister's meeting with EEC Ambassadors held on 11 April. As a result of the disturbing information contained in that letter about Vietnamese refugees in Hong Kong being excluded from the Island Scheme, we have issued instructions to Jakarta and other posts: I enclose a copy for your information.
/ 2.
I also enclose a copy of the Indonesian Ambassador's letter of 20 April inviting us to attend the Jakarta Conference on 15/16 May. You will see that one of the objectives of the Conference is to obtain firm financial pledges of assistance from governments. I had thought that by now the UNHCR would have completed their feasibility study of the scheme so that governments could be provided with estimates of the cost of constructing and running a Transit Centre but, according to David Snoxell's letter of 20 April, the UNHCR have not yet embarked on the study.
3. I shall keep you informed of the results of our representations to have refugees in Hong Kong included in the scheme.
cc:
£3*..
R A McDowell, Home Office
SEAD HK&GD
P Morgan
United Nations Department
CONFIDENTIATI