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United Kingdom Mission
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Telegrams Prodrome Geneva
Telephone 34 38 00 33 23 85
инг иккизля RAR
130
(Merett. in 3d Counties),
Your reference
CA Leeks Esq
HKK 243/9
Our reference UN243/1
Hong Kong Dept
RECEIVED
Date
FCO
2 8 AUG 1986
21 August 1986
DESK OFFICER
INDEX
PA
Dear Clinton,.
PROPOSED ECOLES SANS FRONTIÈRES (ESF) COURSE FOR VIETNAMES REFUGEES IN HONG KONG
1. Please refer to correspondence on the proposed ESF programme for Vietnamese refugees in Hong Kong, resting with Paris telno 729 and your telno 320.
2.
As requested, I called on Mr Leonard Hansson, the Deputy Head of UNHCR's Resettlement Section, on 19 August in the absence on leave of the Head of the Section. Mr Robert Cooper, the Desk Officer concerned, was also present.
3. I rehearsed the background with Messrs Hansson and Cooper and pressed them to consider supporting the ESF scheme on the basis outlined in the telegrams under reference. During my summary of the background I mentioned the fact that ESF had told the British Embassy in Paris that UNHCR had agreed to fund up to 50% of the ESF programme (paragraph 6 of Nigel Cox's letter of 16 May refers). Mr Cooper said that ESF's information was not correct: UNHCR had not agreed to fund any part of the proposed programme for Hong Kong.
4. The two UNHCR officials then explained to me the reasons for UNHCR's reluctance to consider financing the programme. These are as follows.
(a) UNHCR's experience with language instruction,
particularly in Hong Kong, had shown that refugees had had very little. incentive in the past to learn English (a language more widely used as both first and second language in resettlement countries as well as locally) let alone French; many of the refugees who signed on for language instruction withdrew after a short period; and the fact that most of the "long-stayers" in the open camps were out working in factories, in a Chinese- language environment, for 10-12 hours a day
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