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DESKBY 310030Z
FM FCO 301325Z AUGUST 79
TO IMMEDIATE TOKYO
TELEGRAM NUMBER 458 OF 30 AUGUST
INFO IMMEDIATE PEKING WASHINGTON ROUTINE: UKMIS GENEVA,
UKMIS NEW YORK, HONG KONG
SAVING FOR INFO OTTAWA, PARIS
MIPT FOLLOWING IS PROPOSED PIECE OF PAPER
BEGINS:
THE JAPANESE AUTHORITIES HAVE SOUGHT INFORMATION ABOUT THE
CONTACTS BETWEEN THE BRITISH AUTHORITIES AND REPRESENTATIVES OF
THE UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGEES REGARDING THE
RESETTLEMENT OF THE REFUGEES ON MV RUDD BANK IF THEY LANDED IN
CHINA.
ON INSTRUCTIONS FROM THE FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE, THE BRITISH EMBASSY IN PEKING CONSULTED MR CASELLA (ASIA SECTION, UNHCR HEADQUARTERS, GENEVA) WHO WAS IN PEKING AT THE TIME OF THE RUDD BANK'S ARRIVAL IN SHANGHAI. HE ADVISED THE EMBASSY THAT
ALTHOUGH THE UNHCR WERE PREPARED TO REGISTER THE REFUGEES AND
PROCESS THEM IF THEY WERE LANDED TEMPORARILY IN CHINA, HE COULD
NOT ADVISE ANY OF THEM WHO WISHED TO BE RESETTLED IN THE UNITED
STATES TO LAND IN CHINA. SINCE CHINA WAS NOT CONSIDERED TO BE A
COUNTRY OF FIRST ASYLUM FOR THE PURPOSES OF THE US REFUGEE PROGRA-
MME, THE REFUGEES COULD ONLY APPLY FOR ENTRY TO THE USA AS NORMAL
IMMIGRANTS. THIS ADVICE WAS CONFIRMED BY THE US EMBASSY IN
PEKING. THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE, WHEN ASKED FOR FURTHER
CLARIFICATION, STATED THAT ALTHOUGH THEY HAD NOT TAKEN A
FORMAL POSITION THAT CHINA DID NOT QUALIFY AS A COUNTRY OF FIRST ASYLUM, THEY HAD NO ADMINISTRATIVE OR OTHER MEANS OF PROCESSING
REFUGEES WHO HAD BEEN GIVEN FIRST ASYLUM THERE. MR CASELLA
THEREFORE ADVISED THAT IT BE BETTER FOR THE REFUGEES TO REMAIN
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