:
布政司署
香港下亞厘畢道
* OUR REF.:
(32) in CR 2/4821/75
來函檔號 YOUr Ref.:
CW Long Esq
UK Mission
GENEVA
Switzerland
Dear Chnstopher.
M
Sight..
SECURITY BRANCH
GOVERNMENT
ра
305
pa: 214/2
74/12
SECRETARIAT
LOWER ALBERT ROAD
HONG KONG
8 December 1982
116к243/1
↑ Af10/12
16
In
Since my return, we have been busy assess- ing the results of the trip from our point of view. general we consider the attendance of a Hong Kong representative as a member of the UK delegation very use- ful to us, both to the extent that it emphasised the Hong Kong Government's particular concern about the Vietnamese refugee problem, and that it enabled me to have some interesting discussions "in the margin". Whether these discussions will produce any more resettlement places for Hong Kong remains to be seen, but the experience and knowledge I gained were worthwhile in themselves. We shall be following up these contacts in the months ahead via the FCO, and shall of course consult the latter in due course on our probable wish to attend the next Executive Committee Meeting in 1983.
2.
My purpose in writing to you now is to brief you on our current line of thinking about this year's Executive Committee and next's, and, with this in mind, to ask that we be kept fully in the picture, both in advance about future UNHCR gatherings to discuss S.E. Asian refugee issues, and in retrospect about their outcome. Not only would we want to make sure you were fully briefed but we would also wish to consider whether we could usefully follow points up with our local UNHCR office. A case in point was the "Report of the Working Group on problems related to the rescue of asylum seekers in distress at sea", which had met in July this year. We belatedly heard about this Report through the UNHCR magazine "Refugees", and having eventually obtained a copy through the local UNHCR office were able to give the UNHCR some informal comments on the recommendations (comments with which I believe they largely concurred). Any forewarning and feedback you can give us in future on UNHCR policy reviews or initiatives will greatly assist us in our own planning and in our handling of relations with local UNHCR representatives.
/... 3.