CONFIDENTIAL AND PERSONAL
Original at: HKK026/24
This
for:
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2. 1 NOV 1980
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J25.11
Ah zsila
RD Clift Isq
c/o Dr D C Wilson
Political Adviser
Government Secretariat
HONG KONG
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ALSO
NICK 243/5 243/5
21 November 1980
VISIT TO THE UK BY MR HARTLING, UNHCR
1. By the time you receive this letter, a telegram will have issued to Hong Kong with the news that Hartling is to visit London from 8 to 10 December. He will be seeing the Prime Minister, the Secretary of State and a Home Office Minister.
2.
Hartling is bound to raise the subject of a new UK quota for Vietnamese refugees. This rather cuts across the Governor's wish to keep off the subject for the time being. Unfortunately, we in HKGD only became aware of the visit yesterday on receipt of UKMIS Geneva telegram number 497 (copy enclosed) which was not repeated to Hong Kong. UND and SEAD have apparently known of the visit for weeks but could not explain why they had failed to consult us. They accepted that Hartling's visit has implications for Hong Kong but apparently did not see this at the time.
3. I thought you should be aware of the background to the total lack of consultation in case Hong Kong are peeved at having been brought in on it so late in the day.
P Morrice
Hong Kong and General Department
PERSONAL AND CONFIDENTIAL
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