CONFIDENTIAL
M.5/u
78-711
pa (Resettlement).
(14)
RP Margolis Esq HONG KONG
Bear Richard,
VISIT TO FRENCH GUYANA BY DR STUMPF
1.
BRITISH EMBASSY PARIS
26 January 1983
MKK 243/2
51
RUORED IN RE563671 NG. $1 28 JAN 1985
DESK INDEX
REGISTRY Action Take
CH 201
Dr Stumpf duly visited Paris on 15 to 19 January before travelling on to French Guyana. John Duncan and I escorted him on calls on the quasi-official Comité d'Entraide des Refugiés Vietnamiens, the Quai d'Orsay and the Ministry for the DOM-TOMS. The Comité were not very sympathetic, apparently feeling that if the French authorities had any leeway for accepting refugees they should take them from the 6,000 already earmarked for France waiting in camps in Thailand and Indonesia. They eventually conceded at the end of the interview that they would "not oppose" Dr Stumpf's scheme. This did not prevent Dr Stumpf telling Picard, the Head of Immigration Department at the Quai, that the Comité generally supported his objectives! Picard listened patiently and spelt out the difficulties, notably the fact that there was already ethnic trouble in French Guyana with the locals being resentful of the Mong refugees who had settled several years ago. With a population of 65,000 an influx of 4,000 Vietnamese could create a serious imbalance. Nevertheless Picard gave the impression that if the Ministry for the DOM-TOMS was content the Quai would raise no objection.
2. M. Deboute at the Ministry for the DOM-TOMS also listened patiently but stressed the difficulties. He implied that Dr Stumpf would have to persuade the locally elected authorities and the préfet before the Ministry could consider seriously his proposals. Deboute seemed to be coming to the subject from cold: his senior, Gauffre, with whom Picard had been dealing, did not seem to have briefed him. This lackadaisical approach. was also reflected in the fact that the Ministry failed to alert the préfet before Dr Stumpf's arrival (your telno 3 to Paris). Even Dr Stumpf's own call at the Ministry does not seem to have led to any message being sent to Cayenne. This was only done, I suspect, when I rang the Ministry on the day of Dr Stumpf's flight and was told that a message was being sent. I subsequently checked again on receipt of Dr Stumpf's s.o.s. and asked for a chaser to be sent. I hope everything turned out right in the end.
3. Although the French gave Dr Stumpf a courteous hearing and allowed him to go to French Guyana, I doubt whether they will
CONFIDENTIAL
/agree