CODE 18.77
Mr Peate UND
HKK
RESTRICTED
243/1
RECEIVED IN REGISTRY
13 MAY 1983
DESK OFFICER INDEX
Y
PA
imation Tiken
X
Av 1315
UN HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGEES
Reference..
M.
FA 243/13
PA (Hun 243/1).
म
53
See (27)
27
1.
Thank you for your minute of 28 March
2. During a call on Mr Donald on Wednesday afternoon by members of the Asia Committee of the British Refugee Council it was agreed that we would ask the Secretary of State to take the opportunity of Mr Hartling's call to mention the following three concerns about refugees in Indochina which were currently exercising the BRC,
a)
The failure of UNHCR's efforts to set up a channel between Thai and Cambodian authorities for the return of Khmers caught in the Thai-Cambodian border to their home villages if they are keen to do so, At present they are trapped.
b) Reports of misadventures of refugees moving on to Thai territory during the latest actions, and artillery batteries being located close-by (see also Bangkok telno 165 of 7 April),
c) Concern that all boat-people are being reagarded as refugees and causing resettlement bottlenecks. Might some screening system be devised by UNHCR? (This will have to be carefully coordinated with the points on Vietnamese refugees in Hong Kong which we are working on with HKGD, but it is interesting that BRC who will be seeing Hartling separately also take this view),
3. I could produce fuller briefing next week if necessary
8 April 1983
Chykjan
CM J Segar SEAD
CC: Mr Hoare
HKGD
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