GO FCO
00 KINGSTON
230
CYPHER/CAT A
FM HONG KONG 070555Z
CONFIDENTIAL
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وسلهام ت
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TO IMMEDIATE FCO TELNO 442 OF 7 MAY INFO IMMEDIATE KINGSTON,
YOUR TEL. 267 TO KINGSTON
LARI
REF
NEXT
REF.
VIETNAMESE REFUGEES IN HONG KONG.
I AM MOST GRATEFUL THAT SUCH URGENT THOUGHT IS BEING GIVEN TO
THIS.
2. IN SPEAKING TO OTHER GOVERNMENTS ABOUT FINDING A HOME FOR THE
LARGE NUMBER OF REFUGEES WHO HAVE COME HERE I SUGGEST IT WOULD
BE HELPFUL TO STRESS THAT:
(A) ALREADY HONG KONG IS OBLIGED TO ACCEPT REFUGEES LEAVING CHINA LEGALLY AT A RATE OF ABOUT 3,000 PER MONTH OR 36,000 A YEAR. THIS
IS A VERY GREAT AND CONTINUING BURDEN:
(B) THE FACT THAT ILLEGAL CHINESE EMIGRANTS ARE BEING SENT BACK TO
CHINA MAKES IT HARD FOR THE LOCAL POPULATION TO ACCEPT THAT NON-
CHINESE VIETNAMESE WITH NO CLAIM ON HONG KONG SHOULD BE ALLOWED
TO REMAIN HERE WHILE THEIR OWN PEOPLE ARE RETURNED:
(C) WITHOUT ANY VIETNAMESE COMMUNITY HERE THE REFUGEES WOULD BE
VERY HARD TO INTERGRATE.
3. WE HERE WILL CONTINUE TO DO OUR BEST IN ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, BUT IT WILL BE EASIER FOR THIS TO BE ACCEPTED LOCALLY IF PEOPLE BELIEVE THAT HMG IS DOING ALL IT CAN TO HELP. (BUT C.F. C.0.1. CIRCULAR RETRACT 76805 OF 1230 5 MAY ''ASKED ABOUT THE SOUTH VIETNAMESE REFUGEES IN HONG KONG, SPOKESMAN REPLIED UNATTRIBUTABLY THAT THEY WERE A MATTER FOR THE HONG KONG COLONIAL GOVERNMENT WHO WERE IN TOUCH WITH THE AMERICAN AND CANADIAN GOVERNMENTS ON THIS'').
MACLEHOSE
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