.7
香港總督府
GOVERNMENT HOUSE
LONG KONG
1647A
Dae Philif
HKKZ+3
PA
J2.10
VIETNAMESE REFUGEES IN HONG KONG
31 August 1979
Birt and Mrs Morley-Fletcher have done a good job here and have selected about 1700 from the Vietnamese refugees. I gather the plan is to move in September the balance of the previous quota, amounting to 700, and from October onwards to move 500 each month from the 10,000 programme. As explained to Mr Whitelaw, my principal concern with the UK programme is that if its early performance appears half-hearted to United States or Canadian eyes, it will affect the much larger possibilities for resettling refugees from Hong Kong in those two countries. Both have made clear that the factor in their willingness to help Hong Kong will be how much the United Kingdom itself does. Whether this is fair or not, it is an important factor which cannot be ignored, and which I am afraid cannot be argued away, because it is founded on political realities in the US and Canada.
I therefore suggested that we at least started the 10,000 programme "at a good lick",
'at a good lick", so that I would . have evidence of a vigorous programme to brandish in
front of the Americans and Canadians. It is particularly important to be able to do this about the turn of the year, since I should expect South-East Asian refugee camps (except Thailand) to be greatly reduced by then, and the United States, Canada and UNHCR to be turning their attention to the much greater numbers. still remaining here and of course in Thailand.
With this presentational requirement in mind I am concerned at the affect of a UK off-take for the last four months of the year of 700, 500, 500 and 500. It will be much better from our point of view if you could hit 700, followed by three months as near the 1,000 mark as possible, but certainly never less than 700. If you then found you had to ease off owing to congestion in reception centres or other administrative reasons, this would be understood, and meanwhile we would have secured the commitments we want from Washington and Ottawa.
P J Woodfield Esq CB CBE
Deputy Under-Secretary of State
Home Office
50 Queen Anne's Gate
LONDON SW1
/ I wonder