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2.
MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF 6 JUNE 1985
The Chairman signed the Minutes of the last meeting, with no corrections, as a correct record.
3. MATTERS ARISING
3.1
Refugees from Irian Jaya in Papua New Guinea
A background information sheet had been circulated with the agenda. No response had yet been received from the Australian Council for Overseas Aid to a letter sent by the Chairman after the last meeting, however Martin Barber (BRC) would be meeting John Birch (ACFOA) at an ICVA Conference on 30 September.
Joc Wingfield (SCF) said that according to the SCF Field Director in Papua New Guinea the number of arrivals of refugees was settling down.
There were no plans to return refugees to Irian Jaya at present. Many villages on the Irian Jaya side of the border were empty and TAPOL had reported that some refugees had travelled 400 miles to get to Papua New Guinea.
It was agreed that the Committee should continue to monitor the situation.
3.2
Iranian Refugees in Pakistan
The Chairman had written to UNHCR requesting further information.
Diane Grammer (UNHCR) conveyed Mr von Arnim's apologies for not having replied to the Chairmans letter. She agreed to convey the Committee's disappointment to Mr von Arnim, and said that he would reply as soon as possible.
3.3 Vietnamese Refugees in Hong Kong
A letter from Benjamin Tang (Hong Kong Government Office) concerning the ethnic breakdown of Vietnamese refugees arriving in Hong Kong had been circulated with the agenda.
Benjamin Tang (Hong Kong Government Office) said the figures he had given covered up to July 1985. He said the drift could now be seen Lo means as regional rather than ethnic, with more refugees now coming from more than the north rather than the south. He agreed to provide a supplementary
"note giving figures for the number of ethnic Chinese from Vietnam who
had arrived in Hong Kong via China and then been returned.
preciously
Letters from David Waddington (Home Office) to Sir Peter Blaker, MP, and from Lord Ennals to David Waddington had also been circulated with the agenda.
The Chairman said he felt the time taken by the Government to respond to SCORRI had been quite unsatisfactory, it being traditional to respond in two months to Select Committee reports.
Martin Barber (BRC) said he understood the Government would be likely to publish their response by the end of September. As soon as it was published the BRC would convene a meeting of its Joint Operations Committee, and he would contact the Chairman to consider whether a
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