1901)
GRI
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F MANILA 113350Z DEC 79
TO ROUTINE FCO
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TELEGRAM NUMBER 472 OF 11 DECEMBER
INFO HONG KONG, BANGKOK, KUALA LUMPUR, GENEVA, UKMIS NEW YORK AND WASHINGTON.
PHILIPPINES REFUGEE PROCESSING CENTRE,
HKK 243/1
RECEIVED #SPOETRY NO. 51 12 DEC 1979
A.
PA
ion Taken
DESK OFFICCK
INDEX
do
SINGAPORE,
JAKARTA, UKKMIS
1. BEERMAN, SENIOR CONSULTANT OF UNHCR, VISIZD THE PHILIPPINES LAST WEEK AND GAVE A PRESS CONFERENCE DURING WHICH HE SAID THAT REFUGEES FROM MALAYSIA, THAILAND AND HONG KONG WOULD BE ACCOMODATED IN THE RPC. THE LOCAL UNHCR REPRESENTATIVE CONFIRMED TO ME THAT ALTHOUGH THE POINT HAD NEVER BEEN DISCUSSED EXPLICITLY IT WAS ACCEPTED AND UNDERSTOOD BY ALL PARTIES THAT REFUGEES FROM HONG KONG WOULD BE ELEGIBLE TO COME TO THE RPC. HE ADDED THAT UNHCR WOULD BE FLEXIBLE AND WOULD NOT IMPOSE QUOTAS'' FOR DIFFERENT COUNTRIES: MUCH WOULD DEPEND ON TIMING AND PARTICULAR CIRCUMSTANCES: THEY WOULD PROBABLY HAVE TO CONCENTRATE FIRST ON REFUGEES IN THAILAND 2. BEERMAN SAID THAT UNHCR'S FUNDS AT PRESENT WERE ONLY SUFFICIENT FOR THE FIRST STAGE OF CONSTRUCTION OF THE RPC (LE. FOR 10,307 REFUGEES). THE TIMING HAS ALREADY SLIPPED A LITTLE AND IT IS UNLIKELY THAT THE FIRST STAGE WILL BE READY UNTIL THE END OF
JANUARY.
BENTLEY
FILES
SEAD
PS
HK & GD
UND
FED
EID
PUSD
OID
IPD
NEWS D
PS/LPS
PS/MR BLAKER PS/PUS
SIR A DUFF
MR CORTAZZI
MR MURRAY
MR STRATTON
LORD NG LENNOX
ADDITIONAL DISTRIBUTION BOAT PEOPLE
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