CONFIDENTIAL
PRIORITY
<<<<
year 1984/85.
We hope to make a contribution/for 1985/86
but no decision has yet been taken.)
(j)
(k)
Have there been any recent reports of violence among
VR's in the Hong Kong camps on the lines of the 1984
riots in Hei Ling Chau? (Not to our knowledge.)
What percentage of Vietnamese refugees in the Hong Kong
camps are northerners? (Comment: Neighbour emphasised
that it was difficult for the US to accept northerners as
they tended not to have family ties in the US.) (About 50
per cent are northerners. However about a third of these
are ethnic Chinese, whom we understand the US (next word
underlined) do accept.)
5.
We should be grateful if you too would thank the
Americans for their contribution to date, and meir
aw
willingness to
You
maintain their current offtake in the next financial year.
ill be very)
fell should however say that we are disappointed that they feel unable
that
to offer any hope of our increased offtake: we fear that
this response may well have a negative effect on other
countries, many of whom look to the US for a lead. Our
position with them would be condiderably stronger if we
could point to an announcement by the Americans of a tangible
Specifically gesture of support specially in response to HMG's SCORRI
initiative.
سلام
HOWE
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