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26.
Mr Murray
VIETNAMESE REFUGEES:
GOVERNOR OF HONG KONG'S CALL ON
THE HOME SECRETARY, 14 JUNE
1. I attended the Governor's meeting with the Home Secretary at 5 pm on 14 June. Mr Whitelaw's PPS, Mr Philip Woodfield, and the Home Office Director of Public Relations were also present, together with Messrs Wilson and Ford from the Hong Kong Government.
2. Much of the discussion was about the prospects for resettle- ment of the refugees now in Hong Kong and elsewhere in South East Asia. Sir Murray MacLehose said that the problem would be very difficult until the tap had been turned off but should be manage- able thereafter. The United States already had a programme to take 84,000 Indo-Chinese refugees a year. If the rest of the world could match that figure the problem could be solved within 5 years. But the key was to get the Vietnamese to stop the flow at source. They were obstinate people and it would not be easy. They would take little notice of attacks by Western countries but might listen to ASEAN and the non-aligned.
3. As regards resettlement in this country, Mr Whitelaw said that the quota of 1,500 announced by the previous Government would be completed. Some of his colleagues thought that the 'Sibonga' and Roachbank' refugees should be subsumed within this quota to the extent possible but he had not made up his mind. He was con- cerned about the openended nature of the residual commitment to take refugees rescued at sea by British ships. Sir M MacLehose pointed out that the practice of accepting refugees rescued at sea was followed by other Western trading nations, in particular by the United States.
4.
In discussion of the proposed international conference, Sir M MacLehose said that putting pressure on the Vietnamese and drumming up more resettlement places were quite different objectives which were best kept separate. Mr Whitelaw said that he saw the logic of this. Sir M MacLehose then said that our position at a conference would be very difficult if we were unable to pledge more money and resettlement places. The Prime Minister had called for a conference and would lose face internationally if the UK failed to make an adequate contribution. Mr Whitelaw said he hoped the Governor would make this point when he saw the Prime Minister later.
5. There was also a short exchange on nationality law. I have recorded this separately.
19 June 1979
cc
PS PS/LPS PS/Mr Baker
Mr Cortazzi
SEAD UND
FED
RJT McLaren
Hong Kong and General Department
CONFIDENTIAL