CONFIDENTIAL
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
London SW1A 2AH
N J French Esq
Security Branch
Government Secretariat
Hong Kong
PTAACV
file
HUD 243/1
270 2652
17
Telephone 01-
Your reference
Our reference
11 February 1988
Date
Dear Nigel,
VIETNAMESE REFUGEES: UK/JAPAN BILATERAL JANUARY 11 1988
1. I am writing to inform you that at the meeting on 11 January between Sir Geoffrey Howe and Mr Sosuke Uno, Japanese Foreign Minister in Tokyo the subject of Vietnamese refugees in Hong Kong was discussed.
2. The Secretary of State raised the issue and said that Vietnamese refugees were a particular problem in Hong Kong. The numbers were now increasing again and we needed urgently to look at ways in which refugees could be placed permanently in a number of other countries. Some countries had been very helpful and co-operative. Japan had so far done less than it might. Britain urged Japan to reconsider and take more refugees.
3. In reply Mr Uno said that the Japanese Government would be ready to accept more Hong Kong refugees for resettlement. The problem was that they received few applications from refugees wishing to come to Japan, perhaps because of language barriers or because they favoured other countries like the USA. He added that the Japanese Government would make efforts to take as many Vietnamese refugees from Hong Kong as possible.
Yours,
Judith Slater
J M Slater (Miss) Hong Kong Department
as the
May I take this opportunity of introducing myself successor to Paul Arkwright. I look forward to meeting you
late in the
year.
CONFIDENTIAL