2
4.
(99)
INFORMATION BRANCH
GOVERNMENT SECRETARIAT
布政司署新聞科
New World
1710 American International Tower, 16-18 Queen's Road, Central, Hong Kong. Tel: 5-211381 香港皇后大道中16-18號 友邦行1710室 電話:5-211381
Our Ref.: IB 581/2 IV
本署襠號
Ghis
Your Ref.:
來函檔號
HKED'
WED! Me Sant SEAD
29/10
2. PA.
HICK 24315 22nd October, 1980
RECEIVED IN REGISTRY NO.
30 OCT 1980
29.4
Mr. S.G. Eldon
DESK OFICER
PA
REGISTRY
Action Taken
British Embassy, INDEX
Friedrich-Ebert-Allee 77,
5300 Bonn 1.
Dear
stuart
see (103
As you may know by now, Dr. Karl Stumpf is keeping up what he likes to call his private war with the German Government on the level of off-take to Germany of Vietnamese refugees in Hong Kong. He recently fired off a number of telegrams to senior politicians and officials in Germany. He has now had his longest and most encouraging, reply yet from Dr. Bartels of the Auswärtiges Ministry (copy attached). I regret that we do not have here a quick facility for the translation of German, but from what I understand Dr. Bartels has said once again that there are difficulties in persuading the Laender Presidents in taking a quota of Vietnamese refugees from here. This is not in accordance with Dr. Stumpf's experience from his first-hand discussions with some of them on his trip this spring. He suspects that the one is citing the other as an excuse. I understanding that he will now be writing to the
'Regions Presidents" seeking their support.
11
I might add that this activity is perhaps slightly
•
outside the context of our Executive Committee for the Resettlement of Vietnamese Refugees, but we can hardly look on it with disfavour. I have a sneaking suspicion that with his unflagging energy and enthusiasm, at the end of the day Karl Stumpf will actually get something more for Hong Kong.
Yourd ever
thai haigeld
(R.C. Masefield)
for Secretary for Information
c.c. I.C. Orr APA
P.J. Williamson, HKGD, FCO