14863
1238
SKS 475
CONFIDENTIAL
CONFIDENTIAL
HKK 243
三
1510
FM HONG KONG 030132Z AUG 79
TO PRIORITY F C O
TELEGRAM NUMBER 1100 OF 3 AUGUST
INFC PRIORITY WASHINGTON, ROUTINE HONG KONGWEVER THE
LONDON.
FOR CORTAZZI,
0
YOUR TELNO 629 (NOT TO WASHINGTON): VIETNAMESE REFUGEES AND YOUR VISIT TO WASHINGTON.
see 1529
1. OUR MAIN OBJECTIVE IS, OF COURSE, TO GET THE AMERICANS TO INCREASE THEIR OFFTAKE FROM HONG KONG BY A SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNT. BEFORE AND AT THE GENEVA CONFERENCE THEY GAVE US THE ''PLANNING!' FIGURE OF 2,000 FROM HONG KONG IN SEPTEMBER, THIS WILL BE THE FIRST MONTH IN WHICH THEY HOPE TO REACH THEIR NEW LEVEL OF 14,000
FOR THE REGION AS A WHOLE. YOU MAY WISH TO REMIND THEM THAT ANGASSADOR CLARK TOLD ME ON 29 JUNE THAT THE FAILURE OF THE UK TO DO MORE WAS A FACTOR IN THE COMPARATIVELY SMALL US ALLOCATION TO HONG KONG (MY TELNO 890, PARA 2). NOW THAT THE UK HAS DONE ITS PART WE WOULD BE EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTED IF THE AMERICANS DID NOT RAISE THEIR ALLOCATION, WITH ABOUT ONE THIRD OF ALL THE BOAT REFUGEES, WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO DO BETTER THAN 2,000 A MONTH OUT OF AN OVERALL FIGURE OF 14,000.
2. I APPRECIATE THAT IN MALAYSIA REFUGEES MAY BE OF LONGER STANDING THAN HONG KONG: THAT THE US FEEL SPECIAL OBLIGATIONS TOWARDS THE MEO REFUGEES IN THAILAND: AND THAT GENERALLY SPEAKING THERE IS A POLITICAL AND HUMANE REQUIREMENT TO ENCOURAGE ASEAN COUNTRIES. MY COMPLAINT IS THAT THESE LEGITIMATE POLICIES ARE BEING OVERDONE TO HONG KONG'S DISADVANTAGE AND THAT A CONSIDERABLY HIGHER OFF-TAKE FROM HONG KONG BE ACHIEVED WITHOUT DAMAGE TO THEM.
CONFIDENTIAL
13.
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