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TELNO 832
OF 22020OZ NOVEMBER 85
INFO ROUTINE HONG KONG
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YOUR TELNO 485 AND HONG KONG TELNO 2458 TO FC0:
VIETNAMESE REFUGEES
1. AS YOU ARE AWARE, THE PUS RAISED THE QUESTION OF VIETNAMESE REFUGEES IN HONG KONG DURING HIS VISIT HERE
IN JULY THIS YEAR. I HAVE ALSO SPOKEN TWICE TO THE MFA ABOUT IT (MY TELS 504 AND 684). IT IS DISINGENIOUS OF JAPANESE OFFICIALS TO PROTEST IGNORANCE OF THE SIZE OR
SERIOUSNESS OF THE PROBLEM.
2. FIRST SECRETARY (CHANCERY) SPOKE ON 20 NOVEMBER TO HOMIMURA, DIRECTOR OF REFUGEES DIVISION, MFA, TO FOLLOW UP HIS MEETING WITH WOODHOUSE IN GENEVA ON 15 OCTOBER.
WILTON REMINDED HORIMURA, OF OUR EARLIER REPRESENTATIONS
AND ENCOURAGED THE JAPANESE GOVERNMENT TO HELP HONG KONG
OVERCOME THE REFUGEE PROBLEM.
3. HORIMURA SAID THE JAPANESE WERE CONSCIOUS OF THE DIFFICULTIES
WHICH THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT FACED, AND WERE DOING WHAT THEY COULD TO RELIEVE SOME OF THE PRESSURE ON HONG KONG. ALTHOUGH
JAPANESE EFFORTS WERE MODEST COMPARED WITH UK AND HONG KONG
RESETTLEMENT PROGRAMMES, THE JAPANESE WERE SLOWLY BUT STEADILY
INCREASING THE NUMBERS OF REFUGEES ACCEPTED FOR RESETTLEMENT
FROM HONG KONG. LAST YEAR THEY HAD TAKEN 34 VIETNAMESE REFUGEES, THIS YEAR THEY EXPECTED TO TAKE 54.
4. THEY WERE NOW CONSIDERING HOW THEY MIGHT HELP FURTHER.
AS A FIRST STEP THEY WERE CONSIDERING ADVANCING THEIR NEXT
MISSION. IT MIGHT NOW TRAVEL TO HONG KONG BEFORE THE END OF
THIS YEAR AND WOULD PROBABLY INTERVIEW MORE REFUGEES THAN
PAST MISSIONS.
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HKIC 243 12 RECEIVED IN REGISTRY 27 NOV 1985
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