CONFIDENTIAL
MKO Simpson-Orlebar Esq United Nations Department FCO
8 May, 1979.
HKK 243/1
RECEIVED IN REGISTRY NO. 51
2
MAY 1979
DESK OFFICER
INDEX
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J31.5
VIETNAMESE REFUGEES : AMBASSADOR CLARK'S VISIT TO HONG KONG
121
The US Refugee Coordinator recently appointed by President Carter, Ambassador Dick Clark, was here on 25 and 26 April. He spent most of 25 April in Macau which is, incidentally, a continuing source of concern to us because so few refugees are allowed to land there. I have already written separately about this problem.
2.
During his day in Hong Kong, Clark saw the major refugee camps here, including the detention facilities at Kai Tak North (which we plan shortly to hand over to UNHCR). He had separate meetings with the Governor and a larger group from the Government chaired by the Chief Secretary (records attached). The main points which emerged from his visit are covered in the following paragraphs.
3.
Clark gave us an assurance that the US programme would retain sufficient flexibility for numbers to be allocated in response to changes in the burden of the refugee problem throughout the region. This was helpful. There was no indication, however, that the Americans are willing to revise the recent reduction in numbers being taken from here which has occurred because of budgetary constraints and will, they assure us, be only temporary. Clark explained that the current high numbers being given to Malaysia (3,000 out of 5,000 a month in April and May) reflected the heavy increase suffered by Malaysia in November and December 1978. impressed on him the need for future allocations to reflect the recent spate of arrivals here.
We
1
see G122
725
/contd.....
CONFIDENTIAL