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FM HONG KONG 2909402 JUN 79
TO IMMEDIATE F C O
TELEGRAM NUMBER 890 OF 29 JUNE
INFO IMMEDIATE CANBERRA, WASHINGTON.
INFO PRIORITY HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE LONDON, UKMIS GENEVA,
UKMIS NEW YORK.
MY TELNO 871: US REFUGEE PROGRAMME.
*
see 1510
(221) 1.
MET AMBASSADOR CLARK TODAY. HE HAD ALREADY BEEN WARNED BY THE US CONSUL-GENERAL OF OUR DISMAY AT THE US QUOTA OF 600 FOR JULY AND STARTED BY ASSURING ME THAT AT LEAST 800 REFUGEES WOULD NOW BE TAKEN FROM HONG KONG NEXT MONTH.
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2. I THANKED HIM FOR THIS AND SAID WE ADMIRED THE GENEROSITY OF THE US PROGRAMME. HOWEVER, WE COULD STILL NOT UNDERSTAND WHY HONG KONG
WAS SO SHARPLY DISCRIMINATED AGAINST WITH FIVE TIMES AS MANY RESETTLEMENT PLACES GOING TO MALAYSIA. IN REPLY, CLARK ADMITTED THAT THE NNUMBER OF REFUGEES TAKEN BY THE UK HAD BEEN AND WOULD CONTINUE TO BE A SIGNIFICANT FACTOR FOR THE ADMINISTRATION AND CONGRESS IN APPORTIONING THE US QUOTA. IF THE UK DID MORE THE US WOULD TAKE MORE FROM HONG KONG, THOUGH THIS WOULD NOT BE A
MATCHING CONTRIBUTION.
3. CLARK JUSTIFIED THE US POSITION IN STRICTLY POLITICAL TERMS. HE WAS CONSTANTLY BEING ASKED WHAT THE UK HAD CONTRIBUTED.
4. WHEN HE PRESSED ME TO SAY WHETHER I THOUGHT THE UK PROGRAMME ADEQUATE I SAID THAT THIS WAS AN UNFAIR QUESTION. THE UK HAD NO TRADITIONAL COMMITMENT TO VIETNAM AS HAD COUNTRIES LIKE THE US AND FRANCE WITH MAJOR REGIONAL REFUGEE PROGRAMMES, AND WHAT THEY WOULD DO WOULD EMERGE AT OR BEFORE THE CONFERENCE. CORTAZZI (WHO WAS PRESENT AT THE MEETING) REMINDED CLARK THAT DESPITE THE UK'S IMMIGRATION COMMITMENTS FROM SOUTH ASIA AND OUR RECORD IN TAKING REFUGEES EG FROM EAST AFRICA THE UK HAD ALLOCATED PLACES FOR
MORE INDO-CHINESE REFUGEES THAN ANY OTHER EUROPEAN COUNTRY
EXCEPT FRANCE.
15. I
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