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CONFIDENTIAL
HKK 243/1 948
RECEIVED IN A S
IND
- 7 JUN1979
OFFICER
PA.
CONFIDENTIAL
FM SEOUL 2408052 JUN 79
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
TELEGRAM NUMBER 90 OF 4 JUNE
INFO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG, PEKING AND WASHINGTON
INFO ROUTINE TO HANOI AND BANGKOK
YOUR TELEGRAM 53
VIETNAM REFUGEES
876
1. I WAS UNABLE TO OBTAIN AN APPOINTMENT WITH A MINISTER AT SHORT NOTICE BUT I CALLED THIS AFTERNOON ON THE DIRECTOR-
GENERAL OF THE EUROPEAN AFFAIRS BUREAU, LEE SANG CHIN. HE TOLD PE THAT THEY HAD RECEIVED A REPORT FROM THEIR AMBASSADOR IN
LONDON AND THAT HE HAD DISCUSSED THE SITUATION WITH HIS VICE-
MINISTER THIS MORNING.
2. 1 GAVE MR LEE A FURTHER COPY OF CORTAZZI'S LETTER AND THE
ENCLOSURE TOGETHER WITH A COPY OF THE PRIME MINISTER'S LETTER TO DR WALDHEIM AND AN EXTRACT FROM THE SPEECH BY THE LORD PRIVY
SEAL ON 30 MAY. I WENT THROUGH THE DOCUMENTS WITH HIM AND FROM
HIS REACTION IT WAS CLEAR THAT HE HAD NOT BEEN FULLY AWARE OF THE SCALE OR URGENCY OF THE PROBLEM, HE UNDERTOOK THAT AN IMM- EDIATE TELEGRAM WOULD BE SENT TODAY TO THEIR AMBASSADOR IN TAIWAN AND SAID THAT THE AMBASSADOR WOULD BE INSTRUCTED NOT ONLY TO PASS ON OUR REPRESENTATION BUT TO ADD A STRONG ENDORSEMENT BY T THE KOREAN AUTHORITIES AND A DIRECT APPEAL TO THE TAIWANESE TO RESPOND FAVOURABLY.
3. MR LEE SAID THAT SEVERAL HUNDRED VIETNAMESE REFUGEES WHO HAD SEEN PICKED UP BY KOREAN SHIPS WERE STILL IN CAMPS AT INCHON AND BUSAN. BUT THE INTENTION WAS THAT THEY SHOULD ALL BE RE- SETTLED ELSEWHERE, PROBABLY IN THE UNITED STATES, HE HELD OUT LITTLE HOPE THAT KOREA WOULD FIND HOMES FOR REFUGEES AND IN VIEW OF THE ACUTE SHORTAGE OF LAND HERE THIS MAY BE UNDERSTANDABLE,
4. HE ENQUIRED WHETHER THE JAPANESE COULD NOT BE PERSUADED TO
HAVE A GREATER CONTRIBUTION TO THE SOLUTION OF THE PROBLEM.
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