MAINTAINED.
UNCLASSIFIED
8502 - 1
7. AS REGARDS THE REMAINING COUNTRIES, THE NORWEGIAN REPRESENTATIVE
EXPLAINED THAT HE HAD BEEN AUTHORISED BY HIS CAPITAL TO SAY THAT
HIS COUNTRY WOULD TAKE 100 REFUGEES FROM HONG KONG IN RESPONSE TO
THE BRITISH INITIATIVE, IT WAS HOPED THAT THEY WOULD LEAVE WITHIN
THE NEXT FEW MONTHS. THE NEW ZEALAND REPRESENTATIVE POINTED OUT
THAT HER COUNTRY WOULD TAKE 10 REFUGEES FROM HONG KONG. THE
FINNISH REPRESENTATIVE POINTED OUT THAT HERCOUNTRY HAD AGREED TO
ACCEPT 100 REFUGEES, OF WHOM THE MAJORITY WOULD HAVE COME FROM HONG
KONG. THE SWEDISH, DUTCH AND DANISH REPRESENTATIVE POINTED
OUT THAT THEY HAD NOT HEARD ANYTHING FROM THEIR CAPITALS, ALTHOUGH
DENMARK HAD TAKEN 13 REFUGEES FROM THE OPEN CENTRES THIS YEAR. THE
REPRESENTATIVES OF GERMANY, SWITZERLAND AND BELGIUM POINTED OUT
THAT THERE WERE MANY PROBLEMS IN THEIR COUNTRY AND THEY WERE NOT
HOPEFUL THAT THEY WOULD BE ABLE TO GIVE A POSITIVE RESPONSE. THEY
DID AGREE, HOWEVER, TO CONSIDER FAMILY REUNION CASES.
8. THE REPRESENTATIVES OF AUSTRIA, FRANCE, ITALY AND JAPAN DID NOT
ATTEND THE RESETTLEMENT MEETING AND WE WERE ASKED TO WRITE, THROUGH
THE UNHCR, TO THEM TO SEEK THEIR RESPONSE TO THE APPEAL.
9. THERE WAS SOME DISCUSSION OF RASRO AT THE END OF THE MEETING AND
WE POINTED OUT THAT WHILE WE SUPPORTED THE RASRO SCHEME, WE WERE CONCERNED THAT THE 90 DAY GUARANTEE PERIOD WAS NOT (NOT) BEING
MET IN HONG KONG (OUT OF THE TWO SHIP RESCUES IN HONG KONG WE HAVE
RESETTLED 29 OF THE 42 REFUGEES WITHIN THE 90 DAY PERIOD). WE ARE
ALSO AWARE THAT FOR EXAMPLE, IN SINGAPORE THE 90 DAY GUARANTEE
PERIOD IS RIGIDLY ADHERED TO. WE ASKED THE UNHCR TO INVESTIGATE
THE EFFICIENCY OF THIS SCHEME.
YOUDE
HOWE
3
UNCLASSIFIED