179
) 220
CONF DENT HAL
CONFIDENTIAL
HKK 243/2
14
(184)
FM HONG KONG 110605Z NOV 83
TO PRIORITY TOKYO
TELEGRAM NUMBER 38 OF 11 NOVEMBER 1983
INFO PRIORITY FCO
ROUTINE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE LONDON
VIETNAMESE REFUGEES IN HONG KONG
No
PA (resetlent?)
1. FURTHER TO OUR TELNO 87, WE MET SUGIMOTO TODAY. WE OUTLINED
HONG KONG'S VR PREDICAMENT, NOTED THAT JAPAN HAD ANNOUNCED THE RAISING OF ITS REFUGEE CEILING FROM 3,000 TO 5,000 PLACES, AND
ASKED IF SOME OF THESE PLACES COULD BE USED TO RELIEVE US OF PART
OF OUR BURDEN. SUGIMOTO EXPLAINED THAT JAPAN HAD ALREADY TAKEN
NEARLY 3,000 INDOCHINESE AND THE NEW CEILING WAS INTENDED TO ABSORB MOST OF THE 1,900 Ship RESCUE CASES NOW STRANDED IN JAPAN WITHOUT
PROSPECT OF RESETTLEMENT ELSEWHERE. HOWEVER, HE UNDERTOOK TO PASS
ON OUR CONCERN, AND OUR REQUEST FOR ANY RESETTLEMENT HELP THE
JAPANESE COULD PROVIDE, TO CONSUL GENERAL FUJIH AND THE AUTHORITIES
IN TOKYO. HE SAID THAT FUJNN WOULD CONTACT US FOR A FURTHER DIS-
CUSSION SOON.
see (186)
2. THIS IS DISAPPOINTING, BUT WE BELIEVE THAT IT IS STILL WORTH
PUSHING HONG KONG'S CASE WITH THE JAPANESE GOVERNMENT AT A HIGH
LEVEL, IN THE HOPE THAT WE GAIN SOME BENEFIT FROM THE NEW CEILING.
SUGIMOTO DID SAY THAT THERE WOULD BE FURTHER VISITS BY JAPANESE
RESETTLEMENT TEAMS, BUT HE DID NOT KNOW WHEN. SINCE THE LAST TEAM,
WHICH VISITED HERE IN SEPTEMBER, HAS REFERRED BACK TO TOKYO ONLY
24 OF THE 208 INDVDUAL CASES WHICH UNHCR PRESENTED TO THEM, WE
WOULD HOPE THAT A FURTHER TEAM COULD VISHT SOON.
YOUDE
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