{7+{@y{4% v** ས་ཀྱང
CONFIDENTIAL
BY BAG
CR 2/4821/75
(ZZA)
HK k 243
Hkk
16 June 1979
no J≤7 William J27.6
15225/6
S I SOUTAR ESQ WASHINGTON
i.
VIETNAMESE REFUGEES IN HONG KONG : U S VIEWS
Please refer to para 5 of my letter to you of 6 June. The US Consulate-General passed to me today extracts from a State Department telegram (copy attached) giving comments by Lowman on my suggestion that refugees in Hong Kong might be given guarantees similar to those planned for refugee processing centres (R P C). As you will see, the State Department are now suggesting that this sort of guarantee would require consultations with Congress. This is understandable
for the forvard commitment of U S numbers which their approach to R P Cs involves..
2.
I told the US Consulate-General that we were concerned that any administrative or legislative arrangements which were made for giving a commitment to refugees in R P Cs should be in a form which would be equally applicable to refugees in Hong Kong. I added that the arrangements made locally for dealing with refugees who had a long-term guarantee would depend on circumstances and that if it was possible to allov such refugees to work in Hong Kong, thereby reducing the financial burden to U NHCR (and ultimately the Americans as well), this would provide greater advantages than in a formai R P C elsewhere where refugees might not be able to work. What was essential was that any long-term commitment should be just as available to refugees in Hong Kong as elsewhere.
(I C Orr)
Encl:
Distribution /over
CONFIDENTIAL