CONFIDENTIAL
CONFIDENTIAL
FM HONG KONG 1210252 JUL
TO IMMEDIATE F C O
LEGRAM NUMBER 984 OF 12 JULY, 1979
INFO PRIORITY UKIMIS GENEVA
HKK 243
INFO ROUTINE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE LONDON.
VIETNAMESE REFUGEES: RESETTLEMENT IN HONG KONG.
PA
1. EXECUTIVE COUNCIL AGREE WE SHOULD ACCEPT HARTLING'S SUGGESTION OF 10,000 PROVIDED, BROADLY SPEAKING, IT IS ACCEPTED AS H.K.'S CONTRIBUTION TO A FINAL AND COMPLETE SOLUTION. OUR DELEGATION WILL HAVE FULL DISCRETION OVER IMPLEMENTATION.
2. BEFORE DECIDING FINALLY ON TIMING AND WORDING WE MUST SEE THE U.K. ANNOUNCEMENT, AND WOULD LIKE TO KNOW ALSO THE INTENTIONMIONS OF A.S.E.A.N. COUNTRIES. WE HAVE
ASKED ABOUT THE LATTER.
3. WE WOULD PREFER TO ANNOUNCE OUR PLEDGE HERE SOMETIME BEFORE THE CONFERENCE. BUT IF ASEAN COUNTRIES REFUSE RESETTLEMENT WE MIGHT SCORE A TRICK WITH POTENTIAL HOST COUNTRIES, AND ALSO MORE EASILY PERSUADE THE PUBLIC HERE. THAT WE HAD NOT BEEN OUT-SMARTED, IF OUR PLEDGE WAS ANNOUNCED AFTER THE ASEAN REFUSAL WAS PUBLISHED. THIS MIGHT MEAN WAITING TILL THE CONFERENCE.
4. WE SUGGEST THAT THE PASSAGE ON THE HH.K. PLEDGE IN THE
MINISTER'S SPEECH IN PLENARY MIGHT IN ANY CASE BE ALONG THE
LINES OF THE DRAFT IN M.I.F.T.
MACLEHOSE
FILES
SEAD
HK &-GD
UND
FED EESD NAM D
SAD
EID
PUSD
OID
IPD
NEWS D
M & VD PS. PS/LPS PS/MR HURD PS/LR BLAKER PS/PUS
SIR A DUFF
SIR A PARSONS
MR CORTAZZI
MR MURRAY
MR STRATTON
LORD N.G-LENNOX
ADDITIONAL DISTN
BOAT PEOPLE
CONFIDENTIAL
1359
se
1360
1359