CONFIDENTIAL
HKB 243/28
23
056403
MDHIAN 1233
CONFIDENTIAL
FM BANGKOK
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
TELNO 432
OF 290515Z JUNE 89
TOP COPY O DIST ?
INFO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG, HANOI, UKMIS GENEVA, KUALA LUMPUR, INFO IMMEDIATE SINGAPORE, MANILA, JAKARTA, BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
HONG KONG TELNO 2128: VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE: RESETTLEMENT MEETING IN BANGKOK ON 3 JULY
1.
I HAVE SPOKEN TO UNHCR LOCALLY. AS YOU WILL HAVE SEEN FROM THE FAXED PROPOSED AGENDA AND LIST OF PARTICIPANTS, ONLY LOCAL REPRESENTATIVES FROM RESETTLEMENT COUNTRIES HAVE BEEN INVITED. NO ATTENDANCE IS PLANNED OR EXPECTED FROM COUNTRIES OF FIRST ASYLUM, INCLUDING THAILAND.
2.
IN THE CIRCUMSTANCES, REPRESENTATION FROM HONG KONG IOULD BE LIKELY TO CAUSE DIFFICULTIES AND, ON UNHCR'S ADVICE, I CAN ONLY RECOMMEND THAT FOR THIS FIRST MEETING HONG KONG SHOULD NOT (REPEAT NOT) SEND A REPRESENTATIVE.
3. AS REGARDS REPRESENTATION BY THE HOME OFFICE, UNHCR FEEL THAT THE POSITION IS SOMEWHAT DIFFERENT BECAUSE OF HONG KONG'S SPECIAL PROBLEMS. ALTHOUGH NONE OF THE RESETTLEMENT COUNTRIES INVITED WILL BE SENDING REPRESENTATIVES FROM CAPITALS, UNHCR ACKNOWLEDGE, IN BANGKOK AS IN GENEVA, THAT IT COULD BE USEFUL IF A HOME OFFICE REPRESENTATIVE (WRENCH) WERE TO BE PRESENT, PARTICULARLY IF HA WERE TO BE IN THE REGION. ON BALANCE, THEREFORE, I SUPPORT THE SUGGESTION IN UKMIS GENEVA TELNO 403 THAT WRENCH MIGHT COME AFTER ALL.
ΤΟΝ ΚΙΝ
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DISTRIBUTION
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ΜΑΙΝ
108
.VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE IN HK
LIMITED
HKD
INFO D
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