SAVING TELEGRAM BY BAG
Unclassified
From
TO:-
Hong Kong 21st July, 1980
The Foreign & Commonwealth Office
Telegram Number Saving 222 of 21 July, 1980
Info:- Saving to Hong Kong Government Office London,
Buenos Aires Brussels
Bonn
Rome
Oslo
Washington
Reykjavik.
Ukmis Geneva
Ottawa
Athens
Tokyo
Madrid
Caracas
Vietnamese Refugees: Resettlement from Hong Kong.
NICK 24315
RECEIVED IN 7635MY NO. 14 - 4 A00 1980
TO
DESK ACER
INDEX
nuo Canbeure! Copenhagen Dublin
REGISTRY
Action Taken
82.8 Awizla
Mexico City
Stockholm Helsinki
Vienne
Paris Tel Aviv
Wellington Berne
Brasilia, and
акад
boa
AKGD to ente
lat Caby
Suss
6/8
1. The Political Adviser had a meeting on 18 July with local missions representing actual or potential resettlement countries. The major points made were:
(a) Although nearly 40,000 refugees have been settled from Hong Kong since the meeting
in Geneva in July 1979, there were still over 34,000 awaiting resettlement from Hong Kong.
(b) This was only part of the global and regional refugee burden. Nevertheless, Hong
Kong now had a larger share of the burden of boat refugees than she had had a year ago.
(c) We hoped that the generous response of resettlement countries would continue and
that there would be renewed quotas to match the needs of refugees.
(d) The major programmes in Hong Kong (The U.S., Canada and the U.K.) were crucial. We
hoped that these would continue. But smaller programmes were also important. In 1979 15 per cent of resettlement from Hong Kong had been to places other than the top three; but this had dropped to 10 per cent this year.
(e) For resettlement to places which refugees here were unfamiliar it was essential that
the UNHCR's counselling should be backed up by the countries concerned.
2. The meeting was also attended by representatives of ASEAN countries (as observers) and of the UNHCR and ICEM offices. Miss Brissimi, Chief of the Counselling, Educational and Resettlement Section of UNHCR's Assistance Division in Geneva was also present. She spoke briefly, reminding those present that throughout the region there were 235,000 refugees (both boat refugees and land refugees in UNHCR camps in Thailand) awaiting resettlement but that at present outstanding quotas only amounted to 125,000. Renewed quotas were urgently needed for Hong Kong and for the region.
3. We hope posts concerned can take any opportunity which arises to reinforcs this appeal.
CATER
FILES
SEAD
HK & GD
UND
FED
ECD
PUSD
OID
IPD
NEWS D MAED
LEGAL ADVISERS
(MR RUSHFORD)
PS
PS/LPS
PS/MR BLAKER
PS/MR RIDLEY
PS/PUS
SIRE YOUDE:
SIRA ACLAND
MR DONALD
LORD NG LENNOK
ADDITIONAL DISTRIBUTION BOAT PEOPLE
THIS TELEGRAM
WAS NOT
ADVANCED