GP 50
CONFIDENTIAL
CONFIDENTIAL
HKK 2431
RECEIVED
༣༩༼!
683
;
660
FM F C O 181920Z MAY 79
TO ROUTINE UKMIS GENEVA
TELNO 92 OF 18 MAY
DESK INDEX
FA
No
221.5
INFO HONG KONG, JAKARTA, KUALA LUMPUR, SINGAPORE, BANGKOK,
MANILA AND WASHINGTON
INFO SAVING TO EEC POSTS.
INDO CHINA REFUGEES.
1. IN ASIA WORKING GROUP 18 MAY MURRAY INITIATED A
GENERAL DISCUSSION OF THE SITUATION, PARTICULARLY THE WIDENING GAP BETWEEN FIGURES OF NEW REFUGEES AND THOSE
TAKEN FOR PERMANENT SETTLEMENT AND THE NEED TO RECOGNISE
THAT THE PROBLEM WOULD WORSEN. HE STRESSED SERIOUS
POSITION FOR HONG KONG (DRAWING ON HONG KONG TELEGRAMS
SEDNOS 572, 573, NOT TO ALL, RELATING REFUGEE PROBLEM ALSO
TO HIGH LEVEL OF LEGAL AND ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION FROM CHINA) PRAISED COUNTRIES ALREADY ACCEPTING REFUGEES FOR PERMANENT SETTLEMENT, NOTABLY FRANCE, US AND AUSTRALIA,
AND SUGGESTED THE NINE MIGHT CONSIDER HOW TO APPEAL TO
MORE COUNTRIES TO OPEN THEIR DOORS. WHEN HE EXPLAINED
LIMITATIONS ON UK IN TERMS OF OTHER IMMIGRANT OBLIGATIONS
GERMAN REPRESENTATIVE STRESSED HIS GOVERNMENT'S SIMILAR
OBLIGATIONS TOWARDS ETHNIC GERMANS FROM THE EAST. DUTCH
REPRESENTATIVE SAID PROSPECTS WERE QUITE GOOD THAT SURINAM
WOULD TAKE A SIZEABLE GROUP.
2. IN DISCUSSION THERE WAS GENERAL RECOGNITION THAT
SITUATION WAS SERIOUS BUT NO ONE COULD OFFER SOLUTIONS.
SOME DELEGATIONS WERE RELUCTANT TO ENVISAGE A WESTERN
INITIATIVE ON GROUNDS THAT THIS ADDED CREDENCE TO
VIETNAMESE ATTITUDE THAT RESPONSIBILITY FOR REFUGEES, ONCE EXPORTED, LAY ON THE REST OF THE WORLD, MOST DELE-
GATIONS WERE SURPRISED AT THE HIGH HONG KONG FIGURES: TO
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