GR 420
UNCLASSIFIED
AKK 24315
LIVED IN REGISTRY NO. 51
17 APR 1980
DESK OFFICER
REGISTER
36
FM HONG KONG 1602461
TO PRIORITY BONN
INDEX
PA
Action T
APR 82
Мо
21.4
Ani
TELEGRAM NUMBER 7 OF 16 APRIL
INFO FCO
PY
INFO SAVING COPENHAGEN, STOCKHOLM, OSLO, AMSTERDAM, ROME, BRUSSELS,
PARIS.
DR. KARL STUMPF WILL BE VISITING GERMANY FROM 30 APRIL TO 15 MAY
ON BEHALF OF THE HONG KONG COMMUNITY COUNCIL FOR THE RESETTLEMENT OF VIETNAMESE REFUGEES. THE EXPENSES OF HIS TRIP, WHICH AFTER GERMANY INCLUDES A NUMBER OF OTHER WEST EUROPEAN COUNTRIES, ARE BEING MET BY THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT. HIS PROGRAMME IN GERMANY IS AS FOLLOWS:
30 APRIL
3 MAY FRANKFURT
3 4 MAY MANNHEIM
M3
5
-
8
11
-
5 MAY STUTTGART
8 MAY BONN
11 MAY HAMBURG
15 MAY BERLIN
see
49
see HRR
ник
243/4
1881
2. DR. STUMPF 0.B.E. IS VICE-CHAIRMAN OF THE COMMUNITY COUNCIL. HE IS CONSULTANT TO THE HONG KONG CHRISTIAN SERVICE. AN ACTIVE
SOCIAL WORKER HERE FOR MANY YEARS, HE WAS ELECTED HONG KONG CITIZEN OF THE YEAR OF 1980. ORDAINED A LUTHERAN PASTOR, HE IS
ALSO ADVISER ON REFUGEES TO THE WORLD COUNCIL OF CHURCHES. LAST AUTUMN HE AND MISS DOROTHY LEE MADE A HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL TOUR OF AMERICA AND CANADA TO PUBLICIZE THE CASE FOR RESETTLEMENT OF THE VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE FROM HONG KONG. FLUENT IN GERMAN AND ENGLISH, HE IS COMMITTED, PERSUASIVE, AND AN ABLE PUBLIC SPEAKER. ALTHOUGH MANNHEIM IS HIS HOME TOWN, HE HAS BEEN BASED IN THE FAR EAST FOR THE LAST 30 YEARS.
3. THE RATE OF RESETTLEMENT OF VIETNAMESE REFUGEES FROM HONG KONG
HAS BEEN SLOWER THAN THAT FROM ANY OTHER COUNTRY IN SOUTH EAST ASIA. THERE ARE CURRENTLY SOME 43,000 STILL IN CAMPS HERE, AND THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT IS NATURALLY CONCERNED ABOUT THIS. WE ARE THEREFORE DOING ALL WE CAN TO ARGUE INTERNATIONALLY FOR A SPEEDIER RATE OF RESETTLEMENT. THE COMMUNITY COUNCIL WAS SET UP BY THE GOVERNMENT BUT HAS MOSTLY UNOFFICIAL MEMBERS. WE ATTACH A
GOOD DEAL OF IMPORTANCE TO THIS TRIP, WHICH WILL PROVE PARTICULARLY IMPORTANT IF HONG KONG RECEIVES ANOTHER INFLUX OF REFUGEES THIS
SUMMER.
4. DR. STUMPF HAS ALREADY BEEN IN TOUCH WITH LOCAL CONTACTS (LIST FOLLOWS BY BAG), WITH A VIEW TO ARRANGING HIS PROGRAMME. HOWEVER WE WOULD BE MOST GRATEFUL IF YOU WOULD MAKE PRELIMINARY ARRANGEMENTS FOR CONTACTS WITH POLITICIANS AND SENIOR GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS ON HIS BEHALF. YOU SHOULD KNOW THAT DR SCHOBER,
/ PRESIDENT