L
Akk 243/5
RECEIVED IN REGISTRY NO. 51
BY BAG 26 AUG 1980
FROM STOCKHOLM
INDEX
PA
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REGISTRY
tion Taken
A126
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SAVING TELEGRAM
TOP COPY
To FCO Telno 4 SAVING of 12 August repeated for information
Saving to HONG KONG and UKMIS GENEVA
WP PART A.
81
HONG KONG TELEGRAM NO 959: VIETNAMESE REFUGEES: SWEDISH PROGRAMME.
SWEDISH
1. I spoke to the Political Director at the/MFA on 11 August, drawing also on UKMIS Geneva letter of 5 August to Hong Kong, saying I hoped Sweden would be able to take a generous proportion of refugees from Hong Kong.
2. Eckerberg and his desk officer confirmed that, leaving aside 250 for family reunification cases, Sweden wanted to take 500 refugees from the region this year. Of these, they had earmarked in principle 200 from Malaysia, 100 from Hong Kong and 200 from Macau (this was on the basis that many refugees had been in Macau for a longer time). He added that a fact-finding delegation headed by Redemo of the National Board for Immigration would be visiting Malaysia, Hong Kong and Macau shortly. They would be in Hong Kong on 15 September and would welcome discussions there. This might lead to some flexibility in the present allocations, but it seemed unlikely.
3.
I said this was at least a start and I hoped Hong Kong would get a better allocation next year. I then pitched in with the familiar arguments that Hong Kong had never turned refugees away, unlike other countries of first refuge who were now benefiting from higher offtake: and that even if the Swedes continued to be guided by UNHCR advice I hoped they would bear all this in mind too when considering new allocations. A generous attitude on their part might well encourage other small-programme governments to be more generous. Finally, I suggested that it would be useful for Redemo's delegation to learn something of Hong Kong's ELT programme for Vietnamese while in Hong Kong.
4.
I fear this meeting bore out the less optimistic figures indicated by Snoxell's letter, but it is at least encouraging that the Swedes are to send out a mission.
MURRAY
BOAT PEOPLE LIMITED
ADDITIONAL DISTRIBUTION
SEAD
LEGAL ADVISERS
HK & GD
*
UND
PS
FED
ECD
(MR RUSHFORD)
PS/LPS
PS/MR BLAKER
BOAT PEOPLE
PUSD
OID
PS/MR RIDLEY
PS/PUS
IPD
NEWS D
MAED
WED
SIR E YOUDE
LORD NG LENNOX
SIR A ACLAND
MR DONALD
RIVED IN KLUBTRY NO
Í S AUG 1980
94
DESK OFFICER
INDEX
PA
[NOT ADVANCED]
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