CONFIDENTIAL
Foreign and Commonwealth Office London SW1A 2AH
Telephone 01- 233 4439
A K Mason Esq
Operations Division
Government Secretariat HONG KONG
File. 243/2.
(76)
Your reference
Our reference
Date
14 June 1983
POSSIBLE RESETTLEMENT OF VIETNAMESE REFUGEES IN SOUTH AMERICA
/ 1.
In case you have not seen it I enclose an extract from a letter we have received from our Embassy in Asuncion (also copied to Hong Kong), in which the possibility of Vietnamese refugees being resettled in Paraguay is discussed. This is the most positive response so far to the approaches made by our Embassies in Latin American capitals to their host Governments. (Your tel.no 1 of 19 April to Asuncion.) You have no doubt been giving some thought to how to follow it up. For what it is worth, our view is that the best way would be inconjunction in to the UNHCR, since resettlement is ultimately their responsibility. We are aware that the UNHCR
may not entirely approve of the idea of selection. On the other hand, it is clear that a randam group of refugees would almost cert- ainly be turned down by the Paraguayan Government.
I should be grateful to know whether you have yet discussed this matter with the UNCHR'S local representatives. If not, do you intend to?. if they are prepared to be helpful, we could then ask for Embassy in Asuncion to find out exactly how many refugees the Paraguayan Government might be prepared to accept.
CC:
CM J Segar Esq
SEAD FCO
DJ Peate Esq UND FCO
R Hoare
Hong Kong Department
M J McLoughlin Esq SAMD FCO
HKCK 243/2
RECEIVED IN REGISTRY
15 JUN 1983
CONFIDENTIAL
DESK OFFICER
INDEX
PA
REGISTRY
Aqtion Taken