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Part I
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IDENTIAL
CONFIDENTIAL
C
FM UKMIS GENEVA 261230Z MAY 79
DESKBY FCO 220000Z
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
TELNO 166 OF 26/5/70
(747
HKK 2431
RECEIVEDT
21 COPY
DESK OFFICER
INDEX
мо
INFO PRIORITY GOVERNOR HONG KONG WASHINGTON PARIS
INFO SAVING HANOI
MY TELNO 153: INDO -CHINESE REFUGEES
PA
931.5
CLARK SPENT FOUR HOURS YESTERDAY WITH THE UN HIGH COMMISSIONER
FOR REFUGEES AND FIS STAFF. AS PREVIOUSLY ARRANGED I HAD SENT HIM IN ADVANCE AN AIDE MEMOIRE BASED ON HONG KONG TELNO 637 LECO, AND
I CALLED ON HIM IMMEDIATELY AFTER HE HAD LEFT HARTLING. GI
see (15
2. CLARK WAS CLEARLY VERY CONCERNED THAT THE SITUATION IN HONG
KONG WAS BECOMING DESPERATE AND SAID THAT HE NOW FULLY ACCEPTED THE
FIGURES FOR ESTIMATED FUTURE ARRIVALS WHICH THE GOVERNOR PUT TO
FIN LAST MONTH, HE COMMENTED THAT UNHCR'S MAIN CONCERN WAS THAT THE
US WOULD UNDERTAKE TO RESETTLE ALL THOSE REGISTERED BY THE UNHCR
AS THEY DID NOT WISH TO BE SADDLED WITH PERMANENT REFUGEE CAMPS.
CLARK HAD ASSURED HARTLING THAT THOSE WHO HAD REACHED CHINA BY
BUAT AND THEN GONE ON TO HONG KONG WOULD BE ACCEPTABLE TO THE US.
PROVIDED THAT THEY HAD NOT BEEN **PERMANENTLY SETTLED IN CHINA,
HE HAD SUGGESTED TO THE UNHOR THAT THEY HOW MAKE A FINAL ASSESSMENT
OF ALL CASES IN HING KONG AND UNLESS THERE WAS POSITIVE EVIDENCE
OF PERMANENT SETTLEMENT IN CHINA THEY SHOULD BE REGISTERED BY THE
UNHCR AND COME UNDER THEIR RESPONSIBILITY. NO RIFUGEES SHOULD BE
LEFT IN LIMBO'': EITHER THEY SHOULD DE ACCEPTED BY UNHCR OR
REJECTED. ALTHOUGH THE US WOULD HAVE TO DO THEIR OWN SCREENING THEY
WOULD BE GUIDED BY THE SAME PRINCIPLES AS THE UNHCR. THIS IN ANY
CASE HAD BEEN US POLICY SINCE FEBRUARY AND HAD ALREADY BEEN TESTED
BY THE ACCEPTANCE OF THE 102 REFERRED TO IN PARAGRAPH 5 OF HONG
KONG TELMO 609, HARTLING HAD AGREED THAT THEY SHOULD PROCEED IN THIS
MANNER. IN BRIEF, CLARK HAD THE IMPRESSION THAT THE UNHCR WERE NOW FIRMLY COMMITTED TO ACCEPTING RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE
CATEGORY ALTHOUGH HE COULD NOT SAY HOW FAST ACTION WAS LIKELY TO
PROCEED. CLARK EXPRESSED THE STRONG HOPE THAT THOSE NOT ACCEPTABLE
TO UNHCR WOULD BE RESETTLED IN HONG KONG. HE WAS CONVINCED THAT THE
NUMBERS WOULD BE SMALL.
CONFIDENTIAL
$3.