RESETTLEMENT
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Contacts with other resettlement countries has the UK tried to
obtain firm undertakings or reciprocation with "sufficient vigour
and enthusiasm?"
(Ref Questions 159 and 161 to H.O.)
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8. Both we and the Hong Kong Government maintain regular dialogue with other resettlement countries, both bilaterally and through
UNHCR. (For details see below) we have constantly drawn to their
attention the urgent need for the provision of more resettlement places for the refugees at present in Hong Kong. However we have not been able to extract firm undertakings from those countries that they would take more on condition that the UK took the lead, because we have never been in a position to demonstrate our ability to take the lead. We have lacked neither vigour enthusiasm. What we have lacked is a firm basis in our own domestic policy for decisive diplomatic activity.
Nor
joint
BILATERAL AND MULTILATERAL APPROACHES TO OTHER GOVERNMENTS AND UNHCR
9. In May 1983 we consulted the governments of all the principal
resettlement countries to seek their views on the merits of a
approach to the Vietnamese to urge them to step up the Order ly
Departure Programme in order to stem the outflow of refugees from
Vietnam. Only one government expressed interest in the idea of a
multilateral approach to the Vietnamese. Such an approach was unlikely to be worthwhile without wide support. We therfore saw no alternative but to abandon the idea for the time being.
Encrete
10. At the same time we urged all these governments to step up their resettlement of refugees from Hong Kong. None was reactive to
the proposal. We have of course remained in constant touch with these governments, but in the absence of any
initiative on our
part, there has been no positive response.
Hal
positive messuas fom own, the reaction might well have ten different,
HONOLULU CONFERENCE, AUGUST 1983
we seen in a
position to take
11. US Government invited Canada, Japan, France, Australia and UNHCR (as observers) to attend Ministerial level meeting to discuss
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