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HKK 243
DESK
CONFIDENTIAL
.A.
28.6
RECORD OF MEETING BETWEEN THE MINISTER OF STATE AND REPRESENTATIVES OF BRITISH VOLUNTARY ORGANISATIONS INVOLVED IN INDO-CHINESE REFUGEE WORK AT THE FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE, ON WEDNESDAY 13 JUNE, 1979, AT 9.45 AM.
Present:
Mr Peter Blaker, MP
Mr T C S Stitt
Mr P J-Williamson
Mr C A Munro
Sir Leslie Kirkley, Chairman,
Standing Conference on Refugees
Mr John Cumber, Director-General,
Save the Children Fund
Mr Michael Harris, Overseas Director,
OXFAM
Rev Graeme Jackson, Chairman,
Asia Committee, Standing
Conference on Refugees
Miss Joyce Pearce,
The Ockenden Venture
蓄
1. Sir Leslie Kirkley began by recalling the Standing Conference's
interest in Indo-Chinese refugees, and his recent letter to the Prime
Minister about the refugees on MV Sibonga and MV Roach Bank. The
Conference had subsequently met Mr Raison. They were grateful for this
chance of discussing the problem with Mr Blaker. All the voluntary
agencies represented were active in South East Asia or with South East
Asian refugees in the United Kingdom: they wanted to work with the
Government. There were differing views on the form that a conference,
as proposed by the Prime Minister, should take: it might be a widely
based United Nations Conference, or based on the UNHCR Executive
Committee with perhaps 20 or 25 further countries added. Sir Leslie
said that a Conference based on the UNHCR Committee would have the
benefit of remaining unpoliticised. The voluntary agencies were anxious and willing to follow up the results of any conference. they attend, possibly as observers attached to the British Delegation?
2. Sir Leslie recalled the agencies' collaboration with the Government over refugee projects in South East Asia. He hoped that ODA would continue financial support.
Could
13.