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3. CLARK ACKNOWLEDGED THAT THE UNHCR WERE VERY FAR BEHIND PROVID ING ACCOMMODATION. PRESENT PLANS ONLY PROVIDED FOR THE HOUSING
OF 16,000 AND PRESSURE MUST THEREFORE BE KEPT ON THEM TO EXPAND ACCOMMODATION.
4. CLARK SAID HARTLING HAD TOLD HIM THAT HE WOULD BE STRENCHENING
LIS STAFF IN HONG KONG AND WOULD NOW BE APPOINTING A REPRESENTATIVE
IN MACAU.
5. IT WAS CLEAR TO ME THAT ALTHOUGH CLARK THOUGHT THE IMMEDIATE PROBLEMS COULD WITH DETERMINATION BE BROUGHT UNDER CONTROL, HE
WAS PESSIMISTIC ABOUT THE PROSPECTS FOR ULTIMATE RESETTLEMENT CIVEN
THE WAY NUMBERS WERE EXPLODING. HE COMMENTED THAT APART
FROM THE SPECIALLY DIFFICULT PROBLEM OF HONG KONG NUMBERS REACHING
MALAYSIA AND INDONESIA HAD DOUBLED THIS MONTH AND EVEN THE NUMBERS
GETTING TO THAILAND, DESPITE THAI HOSTILITY AND PIRATES, WERE GOING UP. HE ESTIMATED THAT 40,903 WOULD COME OUT OF VIETNAM THIS
PONTH ALONE. THE US HAD INCREASED ITS INTAKE FROM 2,303 TO 7,208
PER MONTI SINCE LAST YEAR BUT HE FOUND IT DIFFICULT TO ENVISAGE ANY
SIGNIFICANT INCREASE. ADMITTEDLY THEY WERE ONLY TAKING ABOUT 533 A
MONTH FROM HONG KONG AND HE ACKNOWLEDGED THAT THEY WOULD HAVE TO MAKE SOME ADJUSTMENT''. (IN VIEW OF PARA 2 OF HONG KONG TELNO 625, I DID NOT PRESS HIM ON THIS). BUT THEY WERE TAKING 95 PER CENT CF ALL RESETTLEMENT CASES FROM HONG KONG AS OPPOSED, FOR EXAMPLE, TO ABOUT ONE-THIRD OF THOSE FROM THE PHILIPPINES. I DID NOT
CHALLENGE THIS THOUGH I FOUND IT DIFFICULT TO RECONCILE WITH THE FIGURES AVAILABLE HERE). HE ACCORDINGLY THOUGHT IT IMPORTANT THAT WE SHOULD TAKE ADDITIONAL STEPS TO INTERNATIONALISE'' RESETTLEMENT. IE SUGGESTED THAT WE SHOULD TALK TO THE LATIN AMERICAN COUNTRIES, PARTICULARLY VENEZUELA, COLOMBIA AND BOLIVIA AND ALSO TO ICEM
WHICH HAD MUCH EXPERIENCE OF SETTLEMENT IN LATIN AMERICA AND WAS
PREPARED TO HELP OVER INDO-CHINESE REFUGEES. (A MEMBER OF CLARK'S
STAFF ENQUIRED ABOUT THE PROSPECTS OF OUR REJOINING ICEM).
6. CLARK SAID THAT A QUESTION HE WAS FREQUENTLY ASKED WAS WHY THE UK
DID NOT TAKE MORE REFUGEES FROM HONG KONG. HOW SHOULD HE ANSWER
THIS? I EXPLAINED ABOUT THE NUMBERS WE WERE ALREADY TAKING AND OUR
IPPIGRATION COMMITMENTS FROM THE INDIAN SUB-CONTINENT AND ELSEWHERE.
HE COMMENTED THAT THE US DREW A SHARP DISTINCTION BETWEEN ITS IMMIG-
RATION OF SOME 400,030 A YEAR AND ITS REFUGEE PROGRAMMES.
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17.
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