CONFIDENTIAL
CR 280
FIDENTIAL
FM FCO 191537Z JUN 79
TO IMMEDIATE UKMIS NEW YORK
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TELEGRAM NUMBER 279 OF 19 JUNE
IND
INFO IMMEDIATE WASHINGTON,
JUN 1979
поров
NO.
PRIORITY UKMIS GENEVA.
FOLLOWING FOR SIR M MACLEHOSE FROM MURRAY,
PROPOSED CONFERENCE ON INDO-CHINESE REFUGEES.
1. YOU WILL HAVE NOTED HARTLING'S SUGGESTION TO SIR J MURRAY THAT
HONG KONG SHOULD AGREE TO TAKE 10,000 REFUGEES FOR PERMANENT
SETTLEMENT OVER A 12- MONTH PERIOD AS PART OF THE UNHCR'S RESETTLE-
MENT PLAN (PARA 7 OF UKMIS GENEVA TELNO 199). YOU MAY ALSO HAVE
SEEN FROM UKMIS GENEVA TELNO 211 THAT HARTLING IS HOLDING HARD TO
HIS VIEW THAT REGIONAL COUNTRIES SHOULD ACCEPT ONE REFUGEE FOR
PERMANENT SETTLEMENT FOR EVERY TWO TAKEN BY THE REST OF THE WORLD.
THE MALAYSIANS AND THAIS WILL DOUBTLESS RESIST TO THE LAST, BUT
MR BLAKER AND I BELIEVE HARTLING WILL MAKE THIS PROPORTION-
SHARING AN INTEGRAL PART OF HIS REPORT TO DR WALDHEIM.
2. IN MR BLAKER'S VIEW, WHICH I SHARE, HARTLING HAS OFFERED A VERY
FAVOURABLE TARGET FOR HONG KONG, COMPARED WITH HIS ONE-FOR-TWO
CONCEPT FOR THE REST OF THE REGION. THE IMPLICATION IS THAT ALL
OTHER REFUGEES SHOULD EVENTUALLY BE TAKEN AWAY FROM HONG KONG,
THERE WOULD BE ADVANTAGE IN CLINCHING ON SOMETHING AROUND THIS
FIGURE BEFORE THE RATS GET AT IT.
3. YOU HAVE INDICATED PREVIOUSLY THAT HONG KONG WOULD DO ITS BEST
TO ABSORB MORE REFUGEES ABOVE THE VERY SIGNIFICANT PRESENT FIGURE.
YE ALL REALISE THAT THIS IS A SENSITIVE MATTER IN HONG KONG AND THAT
YOU WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO GIVE ANY FIRM COMMITMENT UNTIL YOU GET BACK THERE, TAKE STOCK AND CONSULT EXCO.
NEVERTHELESS AS SEEN FROM HERE, YOU MIGHT GAIN IN THE LONG RUN IF
YOU COULD SAY TO HARTLING THAT THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT WOULD BE
WILLING TO CONTEMPLATE A FIGURE IN THE REGION OF 10,000 IN THE
CONTEXT OF A PLAN WHICH PROVIDED RESETTLEMENT PLACES ELSEWHERE
FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE 54,000 NOW IN HONG KONG PLUS ANTICIPATED
NEW ARRIVALS.
CONFIDENTIAL