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CONFIDENTIAL
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CONFIDENTIAL
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FM HONG KONG 310935Z OCT 83
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
TELEGRAM NUMBER 1644 OF 31 OCTOBER
DISTRIBUTION SELECTO FILE COPY
HKK 2432
RECEIVED IN REGISTRY
INFO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE LONDON DEX
YOUR TELNO 1103: VIETNAMESE REFUGEES.
3 10CT 1983
1. IN RAHISING YOUR POINT (C) WHITH FUNSETH, YOU SHOULD BE AWARE
OF THE FOLLOWING:
(-) UNHCR HAS IDENTIFIED 2218 **UK NO SHOWS'' HERE, OF WHOM 398
HAVE BEEN SUBMITTED TO U.S. PROGRAMME AS FALLING WITHIN EXISTING
CRITERIA FOR SUBMISSION (PRIORITY ONE TO FIVE), WNS HAS APPROVED
110 AND DENHED 169. THE REST (109) HAVE BEEN RETURNED TO UNHCR
BY THE USCG REFUGEE OFFICE AS NELIIGABLE: SOME MAY BE APPEALED.
IN ALL, A LIMITED EXERCISE THAT HAS DONE SOME GOOD. THE U.S. HAS
ALSO REVIEWED-757 **BATAAN REFUSALS'' AND TAKEN 329 OF THOSE.
SOME ''RES:IDUALS'' IN BOTH GROUPS WILL HOEPFULLY BE SWEPT UP IN
THE EXERC4SE AT (HM).
(1) HT IS MUCH TOO EARLY TO SAY WHAT EFFECT THE REVISED CRATERIA
WELL HAVE ON OUR VR PROBLEM. THEY SHOULD HELP NASMUCH AS ETHNIC
CHINESE WILL HENCEFORTH BE REGARDED AS HAVING PRESUMPTIVE
REFUGEE STATUS'', AND 96 PER CENT OF THE 3139 REFUGEES WHO HAVE BEEN HERE FOR OVER FOUR YEARS ARE CHINESE. BUT U.S. OFFTAKE,
ACCORDING TO OUR USCG REFUGEE OFFICE, IS LIMITED TO 300 PER MONTH BY STATE DEPARTMENT QUOTA, WHICH IN TURN (WE ARE TOLD) 1-5
BASED UPON THE QUOTA OF PHILIPPINES VISAS AVAILABLE FOR THE RPC
IN BATAAN. SO OUR AIM IS TO ENSURE THAT THE U.S. MEETS TS LOCAL
*'QUOTA''. WE SHALL FALL SHORT BY OVER 100 PLACES IN OCTOBER, FOR EXAMPLE, BECAUSE OF A SHORTAGE OF NS UNTERVIEWERS.
2. THE ABOVE CLEARLY INDICATES TO US THAT MAXIMUM PRESSURE MUST
BE MAINTAINED UPON THE AMERICANS, BOTH LOCALLY AND AT STATE DEPARTMENT LEVEL, TO TAKE THE ''QUOTA'' THEY SAY THEY ARE COMMITTED TO TAKING. WE WOULD RATHER THESE WERE RESHDUALS THAN
NEW ARRIVALS, BUT THIS MAY BE A COUNSEL OF PERFECTION. WE ARE VERY WORRIED THAT, WITH THE NEXT ARRIVAL SEASON, AMERICAN ATTENTION WILL BE DIVERTED TO THAILAND AND THE KHMER, LEAVING
HONG KONG TO THE CANADIANS AND THE AUSTRAL PANS. THIS GLOOMY
PROGNOSIS WAS UNOFFICIALLY CONFIRMED BY UNHCR REPRESENTATIVES
HERE AND AT EXCOM. WE WOULD HOPE THAT FUNSCTH CAN BE PERSUADED
TO DISPEL IT.
Kon Taken
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