H

CONFIDENTIAL

MKK/243/3

RACEIVED IN RAUSTY NO. 51

- 2 FEB 1983

PS/Lord Belstead A

DESK OFNEFA INDEX

RA

REGISTRY

Action Taken

+1 212

C

HKGD for action

PS /Ld Belstead

Mr Grifford

der Donald

SEAD

Legal Advisers

Vietnamese Refugees in Hong Kong

Mr. Kurt The

Reg.

1.c.

2

pa

MA.

X

UNCH!!

The Secretary of State has seen Lord Belstead's minute'l

ii

J1⁄2

of 27 January. He is in general agreement with it and has minuted to the Home Secretary as you proposed. However he has reservations about the idea of repatriation of refugees from Vietnam. Even if we were to get some satisfactory sounding assurances from the Vietnamese, these would not have much credibility. And we would be all too likely to be accused of having put undue pressure on the refugees. The Yalta precedent is relevant. He suggests that we should consult our Ambassador in Hanoi on the idea first, before instructing him to approach the Vietnamese. It might be best to consult the Secretary of State again once we have Mr Pike's views.

Since Lord Belstead's minute was not copied elsewhere, I leave it to you to copy this minute appropriately.

31 January, 1983

See HKK 243/5 (9)

E.Holmes

(J E Holmes)

нка?

Action taken.

HKGP. Jel. sent to HK on

closed camps.

SEAD

taking action on

repatriation.

7572.

Subsequent papers

on

REPATRIATION

an

་་

RESETTLEMENT on

CONFIDENTIAL

Hkk 243/5.

Hkk 243/2.

Page 75Page 76

Share This Page