TNAG-0556-FCO40-651-Resettlement-of-Vietnamese-refugees-from-Hong-Kong-into-othe-1975 — Page 127

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4. IT IS POSSIBLE THAT KISSINGER MAY ASK IF THE UK COULD

TAKE LARGER NUMBERS THAN THOSE WE HAVE ALREADY AGREED TO TAKE (FCO TELNO 207 TO KINGSTON), OR MAY SUGGEST THAT WE MIGHT TAKE AT LEAST SOME OF THOSE NOW IN HONG KONG. THE HOME OFFICE ARE RELUCTANT TO ACCEPT ANY FIRM FIGURE BEYOND THE 100 ALREADY AGREED. BUT THEY ATTACH CONSIDERABLE IMPORTANCE TO APPLICANTS HAVING SOME CONNECTION WITH THE UK, AND WHERE THIS IS SHOWN TO EXIST, EG WHERE THE APPLICANT HAS DEPENDANTS OR RELATIVES HERE OR HAS HIMSELF BEEN A STUDENT IN BRITAIN, THEY WOULD CONSIDER FURTHER APPLICATIONS SYMPATHETICALLY SUBJECT TO PERSONAL ACCEPTABILITY AND RESPONSIBLE SPONSORSHIP. THE PRESS HAVE SPECULATED THAT THE NUMBERS OF APPLICANTS MIGHT REACH 1,000: THOUGH THE HOME OFFICE HOPE THAT THEY WILL BE MUCH LOWER. THE HOME OFFICE WOULD NOT WISH TO COMMIT THEMSELVES SPECIFICALLY OVER THE REFUGEES IN HONG KONG UNTIL THE SIFTING PROCESS HAS GONE FURTHER AND EFFORTS HAVE BEEN MADE TO FIND PERMANENT HOMES FOR THEM IN THE US, CANADA, SOUTH-EAST ASIA OR ELSEWHERE.

5. THE AMERICANS HAVE ALSO APPROACHED A NUMBER OF OTHER EEC COUNTRIES WITH THE REQUEST THAT THEY AGREE TO TAKE 100 REFUGEES EACH. THE REQUESTS WERE DISCUSSED AT A MEETING OF COMMUNITY AMBASSADORS IN DUBLIN ON 5 MAY, WHERE THERE WAS GENERAL AGREEMENT THAT EACH GOVERNMENT SHOULD INFORM THE US GOVERNMENT DIRECT OF ITS RESPONSE, RATHER THAN THAT THE PRESIDENCY SHOULD ATTEMPT A CONSOLIDATED REPLY. SO FAR AS WE KNOW, OTHER COMMUNITY COUNTRIES HAVE NOT YET REPLIED TO THE AMERICANS.

CALLAGHAN

DEPARTMENTAL DISTRIBUTION

COPIES TO:

M & VD

HKIOD

MR T FITZGERALD

SEAD

NAM D

MR BLANK DS II MOD

MR R MCDOWALL

HOME OFFICE

HOME OFFICE

LUNAR HOUSE

FED

NEWS D

DEFENCE D

UND

MR WATTS

COMMUNITY PROGRAMMES DEPT. H.O

CONSULAR D CONS EM UNIT RES D (AM SECT RES D (FE SECT)

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