CR 1/4821/79
761
CONFIDENTIAL
VIETNAMESE REFUGEES :
Hkk 243/1
RECEIVED IM REGISTRY.NO. 51 REPORT ON MEETING
IN JAKARTA ON 15/16 MAY TO DISCUSS PROPOSED,
GALANG ISLAND REFUGEE PROCESSING CENTREALTON YO
No
23.5
The main Hong Kong objective for the Jakarta meeting was access in principle for Vietnamese refugees in Hong Kong to the proposed Galang island Refugee Processing Centre (R P C). It quickly became clear that this was unobtainable. The ASEAN delegates, who had met separately the day before the meeting started, had no authority from their governments to agree to Hong Kong's inclusion. However, prior lobbying by the British Ambassador in Jakarta of Dr Mochtar, the Indonesian Foreign Minister (who chaired the meeting), achieved the best result that was possible: the door was left slightly ajar. The case for refugees other than those in ASEAN countries having access to the RP C was recorded in the Chairman's concluding summary as follows:
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It was suggested during the meeting that the facilities of the processing centre would also be made available to Indo- China refugees at present harbored in other than ASEAN first refuge countries.
One delegation further suggested that accommodation of a limited number of Indo- China refugees from Hong Kong would enable his Government to make a contribution towards funding the projects.
The Chairman took note of these views and said that the matter would be referred to the ASEAN members for discussion.
The main supporters of wider access were the Australians, the Americans (though not publicly) and E EC countries, especially the FR G. The reference to "projects" resulted from considerable Filipino success in having the summary apply as far as possible to the offer of an RP C site on Tara island in the Philippines. Dr Mochtar had only been told of this offer on 14 May and he clearly resented this diversion of attention from the Galang island project. The UK statement (copy attached) only referred to the Indonesian proposal but there is clearly no harm in the offer of possible financial assistance being taken to apply to any other R P C to which refugees in Hong Kong have access.
CONFIDENTIAL
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