GRS 850
CONFIDENTIAL
FM HONG KONG
TO ROUTINE FCO
TELNO 2414
OF 050205Z NOVEMBER 85
CONFIDENTIAL enter scores
3689
A Walker B
To old to submisen
INFO ROUTINE UKMIS GENEVA, THE HAGUE, ROME, BRUSSELS, COPENHAGEN,
INFO ROUTINE HELSINKI, BERNE, OSLO, HKGO BRUSSELS (FOR FRENCH), LICK 243 INFO ROUTINE HKGO GENEVA (FOR WOO), HKGO NEW YORK (FOR DREADYED IN REGISTRY
INFO ROUTINE HKGO WASHINGTON (FOR LO).
06 NOV 1935
DESK OFFICELL
INDEX
PA
RUCISTRY
овідний
264
VIETNAMESE REFUGEES: SCORPI REPORT.
HAS NO
FURTHER TO OUR TELNO 2080, THE SECRETARY FOR SECURIT SEEN THE REPRESENTATIVES IN HONG KONG OF THE NETHERLANDS, ITALY, } BELGIUM, DENMARK, SWITZERLAND AND NORWAY. HE ASKED, IN PARTICULAR, WHETHER THEIR GOVERNMENTS COULD BROADEN THEIR CRITERIA SO AS TO TAKE SOME OF THE REFUGEES WHO HAVE BEEN HERE MANY YEARS.
2. THE GENERAL RESPONSE WAS ONE OF SYMPATHY FOR HONG KONG'S PROBLEM FOLLOWED BY THE REASONS WHY IT WOULD BE DIFFICULT FOR THEIR GOVERNMENTS TO DO MUCH TO HELP. IN PARTICULAR NONE SEEMS LIKELY TO BROADEN ITS CRITERIA TO ANY APPRECIABLE EXTENT. ALL READILY AGREED
TO PUT OUR CASE TO THEIR GOVERNMENTS.
3. THE DUTCH WERE SYMPATHETIC TOWARDS VIETNAMESE REFUGEES WHOM THEY CONSIDERED TO HAVE SETTLED WELL IN THE NETHERLANDS. BUT THE DUTCH REPRESENTATIVE POINTED OUT THAT BECAUSE OF THE NUMBER OF REFUGEES WANTING TO ENTER THE NETHERLANDS AND THE LIMITED INTAKE SET BY HIS GOVERNMENT FOR REFUGEES, REQUESTS FOR ADDITIONAL RESETTLEMENT PLACES WOULD HAVE TO BE CONSIDERED IN THE CONTEXT OF THE OVERALL REQUIREMENT. HE WOULD PASS ON OUR APPEAL TO HIS GOVERNMENT TOGETHER WITH HIS RECOMMENDATION FOR IT TO BE CONSIDERED SYMPATHETICALLY.
4. THE ITALIAN REPRESENTATIVE EXPLAINED THAT ITALY HAD A NUMBER OF INTERNAL PROBLEMS PARTICULARLY UNEMPLOYMENT AND TERRORIST ACTIVITIES, AND HAD TO FACE A LARGE FLOW OF REFUGEES FROM SUCH PLACES AS EASTERN EUROPE, CENTRAL AND EAST AFRICA AND SOUTH AMERICA. BECAUSE OF ITS LOOSE ENTRY REGULATIONS, ITALY WAS ALSO
SUBJECT TO ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION, PARTICULARLY BY IRANIANS, FILIPINOS AND SRI LANKANS. CONSEQUENTLY, ITALY WOULD NOT BE IN A
POSITION TO CONSIDER ACCEPTING MORE REFUGEES FROM HONG KONG. HE
AGREED TO REFER OUR REQUEST TO ROME.
5. THE BELGIAN REPRESENTATIVE SAID THAT THE BELGIANS WERE
GENERALLY SYMPATHETIC TO THE REFUGEE PROBLEM AND THERE HAD NOT
BEEN ANY TROUBLE CAUSED BY EITHER CHINESE OR VIETNAMESE REFUGEES
ALREADY SETTLED IN BELGIUM. BUT CONSIDERATION OF HONG KONG'S
REQUEST FOR BELGIUM TO ACCEPT MORE REFUGEES WOULD HAVE TO WAIT
UNTIL AFTER THEIR GENERAL ELECTION ON 13 OCTOBER. IMMIGRATION AND
REFUGEES WERE POLITICALLY SENSITIVE ISSUES AND DECISIONS WOULD
DEPEND ON THE BLEND OF POLITICAL PARTIES WINNING THE ELECTIONS.
HE UNDERTOOK TO CONVEY OUR APPEAL TO BRUSSELS WITH HIS RECOMMENDATION
THAT FAVOURABLE CONSIDERATION SHOULD BE GIVEN TO ACCEPTING MOPE
REFUGEES FROM HONG KONG.
CONFIDENTIAL
16.
Taken
e