CONFIDENTIAL #2
3
to end the Vietnamese chapter of the refugee saga in a positive and humane way. Mr. Smyser remained most grateful for Hong Kong Government cooperation to achieve this, and for the close collaboration maintained with local UNHCR officials. He was impressed particularly by the concern shown by HE and senior officials over Hong Kong's refugee problems, and would do all he could to res lve them. HE thanked Mr. Smyser and his local officials for all their help over the past three years, but stressed his concern that the current problem, while numerically small, showed no signs of going away. Mr. Smyser acknowledged this concern, and assured HE that the High Commissioner, among all the other refugee problems in Africa and Central America, was fully aware also of the concern among the countries of first asylum in South East Asia, and he hoped that Mr. Hartling would be able to revisit the Region in the near future to see the problem at first hand.
Security Branch,
Government Secretariat
File: SCR 3/3371/79
Date : 26 November 1982
Distribution
S for S
DS for S
PAS(S)R PS/GH
D of I (Attn. Mr. G. CHU)
CONFIDENTIAL ##