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3. THERE MAY BE A TENDENCY IN SOME COUNTRIES TO SAY THAT, SINCE THE UK IS NOW TAKING 10,000 REFUGEES FROM HONG KONG, THEY THEMSELVES
SHOULD LOOK ELSEWHERE. WE SUGGEST THAT THIS ARGUMENT SHOULD BE REFUTED BY SAYING THAT THE UK'S QUOTA OF 10,000 WILL INEVITABLY TAKE SOME TIME TO MOVE SINCE THIS IS THE FIRST TIME THE UK HAS DEALT WITH SUBSTANTIAL NUMBERS OF REFUGEES FROM VIETNAM. FURTHERMORE, EVEN WITH 10,000 REFUGEES TAKEN CARE OF, HONG KONG STILL HAS THE SECOND LARGEST NUMBER OF BOAT REFUGEES (AFTER MALAYSIA)
IN THE REGION. DEVOTING THE UK OFFER SOLELY TO HONG KONG DOES NO MORE THAN BEGIN TO REDRESS THE BALANCE OF RESETTLEMENT OPPORTUNITIES. OTHER COUNTRIES SHOULD NOW SHOW THAT THEY TOO ARE PREPARED TO ENSURE A FAIR OVERALL RESETTLEMENT PROGRAMME WHICH
NOT PENALISE THOSE PLACES OF FIRST ASYLUM WHICH HAVE ACTED
HUMANELY,
DOES
4. BUENOS AIRES, MADRID AND OTTAWA WILL WISH TO KNOW THAT THE GOVERNOR SPOKE TO THEIR RESPECTIVE NATIONAL DELEGATIONS ABOUT A FAIR SHARE FOR HONG KONG AT THE GENEVA MEETING AND WAS GIVEN A
SYMPATHETIC HEARING.
5. WE SUGGEST THAT ANY FURTHER REPRESENTATIONS IN WASHINGTON SHOULD AWAIT THE OUTCOME OF VISITS HERE IN EARLY AUGUST BY TWO CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATIONS (ONE SENT BY THE SPEAKER TO LOOK INTO REFUGEE AFFAIRS AND THE OTHER FROM THE WOLFF SUB-COMMITTEE OF THE FOREIGN AFFAIRS COMMITTEE).
6. GRATEFUL IF UKMIS GENEVA WOULD CONTINUE TO MONITOR CLOSELY THE EXTENT TO WHICH RESETTLEMENT COUNTRIES SEEK ADVICE FROM UNHCR ON ALLOCATIONS, AND WHAT ADVICE IS GIVEN. WE ARE NOT CLEAR WHETHER THE FIGURES GIVEN IN PARA 7 OF TUR FOR SWITZERLAND, AUSTRIA AND BELGIUM REFLECT ADVICE GIVEN BY UNHCR TO THESE COUNTRIES. IN THE CASES OF SWITZERLAND (80 OUT OF ABOUT 1, 350 PLACES TO BE ALLOCATED THIS YEAR) AND BELGIUM (300 OUT OF 2,000)
THE ALLOCATIONS FOR HONG KONG ARE DISAPPOINTINGLY LOW.
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17.
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