CONFIDENTIAL
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4. The Hong Kong Government are under growing public pressure
over their inability to stop the influx of Vietnamese refugees.
The British response so far is regarded locally as grudging and
inadequate. It will strengthen the Governor's position if he
can say on his return to Hong Kong that he has seen the Prime
Minister and put his concerns to her personally. In the meantime
we are urgently considering what more can be done to help. It
would certainly be useful if some reinforcement of the British
garrison could be announced at the time of the Governor's visit.
We are pursuing this separately with the Ministry of Defence.
5.
The Governor will face critical questions on the refugee
problem in the Hong Kong Legislative Council on Wednesday, 6 June.
It would help him to defend both his and the British Government's
policy if the news of his visit to London had by then been
announced. This suggests an announcement at tomorrow's FCO
news conference; there would be no need to give details of the
programme.
4 June 1979
CC
Mr Cortazzi
PS/PUS
Mr Simons, SEAD
Mr Simpson-Orlebar, UND News Department
витами
R JT McLaren
Hong Kong & General Department
CONFIDENTIAL