CONFIDENTIAL
GRS 1000A
CONFIDENTIAL
P BONN 091650Z AUG 79
TO PRIORITY FCO
See (1572
HKKZ
TELEGRAM NUMBER 445 OF 9 AUGUST
INFO PRIORITY HONG KONG (FOR GOVERNOR)
INFO SAVING HMCG'S IN FRG AND BERLIN AND BMG BERLIN
1536
MY TELNO 4 TO HONG KONG.
INDO-CHINESE REFUGEES: WILSON'S VISIT
1544)
sée 1545A
1. WILSON HAD SEPARATE TALKS IN BONN ON 8 AUGUST WITH PETERSEN (UNDER SECRETARY FOR ASIA IN FEDERAL FOREIGN MINISTRY), VERBEEK (UNDER SECRETARY FOR LEGAL AFFAIRS, FEDERAL FOREIGN MINISTRY) AND FUCHS (UNDER SECRETARY FOR REFUGEE QUESTIONS, INTERIOR MINISTRY). 2. WILSON EXPLAINED THAT HONG KONG WAS FACING MOST SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES AS A RESULT OF HER HUMANE POLICY, THERE WERE NOW 57,000 INDO-CHINESE REFUGEES IN THE COLONY, PROBABLY MORE THAN ANYWHERE ELSE NOW THAT MANY HAD BEEN FORCED OUT OF OR RESETTLED FROM MALAYSIA. THE HONG KONG FIGURE REPRESENTED 25 PERCENT OF ALL INDO-CHINESE REFUGEES, BUT RESETTLEMENTS FROM HONG KONG REPRESENTED ONLY 13 PERCENT OF TOTAL RESETTLEMENTS. DURING THE MOROTORIUM IT WAS ESSENTIAL SOME HOW TO RESETTLE AS MANY AS POSSIBLE AND TO CONVINCE THE PEOPLE OF THE COLONY, WHO WERE INCREASINGLY OF THE VIEW THAT THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT HAD BEHAVED WEAKLY AND SHOULD HAVE ADOPTED. MALAYSIAN TACTICS, THAT SOMETHING WAS BEING DONE. THE PROBLEM WAS COMPOUNDED BY THE CONTINUING FLOW OF REFUGEES FROM CHINA. THE FRG HAD ADOPTED A GENEROUS POLICY OVERALL, BUT HMG HOPED IN THE CURRENT URGENT CIRCUMSTANCES THEY WOULD NOW BE ABLE TO GIVE HIGHER PRIORITY
TO TAKING REFUGEES IN HONG KONG.
24
3. IN REPLY THE GERMAN OFFICIALS MADE THE FOLLOWING MAIN POINTS: (A) OFFERING RESETTLEMENT PLACES WAS A LAND (STATE) AND NOT A
FEDERAL RESPONSIBILITY. THEY DID NOT DENY THAT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT COULD EXERT SOME INFLUENCE, BUT THE DECISION WAS NOT FOR THEM. ONCE OFFERS HAD DEEN MADE BY THE LAENDER,
THEY WERE COORDINATED BY THE INTERIOR MINISTRY AND PASSED TO
THE FOREIGN MINISTRY.
(b) RESPONSIBILITY FOR DECIDING WHERE THE REFUGEES SHOULD COME FROM
RESTED LARGELY WITH THE FOREIGN MINISTRY, WHO WORKED AS
NECESSARY WITH UNHCR. DETAILED SELECTION OF REFUGEES AND
PROCESSING WAS COORDINATED BY THE LEGAL DEPARTMENT OF THE FOREIGN
MINISTRY.
CONFIDENTIAL
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