TNAG-0556-FCO40-651-Resettlement-of-Vietnamese-refugees-from-Hong-Kong-into-othe-1975 — Page 32

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TO PRIORITY FCO TELNO 276 OF 14 MAY INFO PRIORITY BANGKOK AND

GOVERNOR HONG KONG.

1 5 MAY 1975

2

LAST

AF

VISAS FOR SOUTH VIETNAMESE TRANSITTING HONG KONG.

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1. MANPOWER AND IMMIGRATION SERVICE HAVE ASKED US IF THERE IS

ANYWAY IN WHICH NORMAL PROCEDURES COULD BE ACCELERATED FOR TRANSIT

VISAS TO SOUTH VIETNAMESE REFUGEES IN BANGKOK WHO WISH TO GO TO

HONG KONG TO CATCH A FLIGHT TO CANADA. THEY HAVE ALSO ASKED WHETHER,

AS MOST REFUGEES HAVE NO MONEY, THE FEES COULD BE WAIVED.

2. THE MANPOWER AND IMMIGRATION SERVICE SAID THAT THE CANADIAN GOVERNMENT ACCEPTED ''FULL RESPONSIBILITY" FOR REFUGEES

TRANSITTING HONG KONG, BUT COULD NOT ELABORATE ON HOW THIS WAS BEING EXERCISED. ARE THERE ANY MEASURES WE COULD ASK THE CANADIANS TO IMPOSE THAT WOULD ENSURE SATISFACTORY CONTROL OF THE REFUGEES DURING THEIR TRANSIT?

3. AS WE STILL AWAIT THE CANADIAN DECISION ON ACCEPTING MORE REFUGEES FROM AMONG THOSE ALREADY IN HONG KONG (MY TELNO 272) WE SHOULD LIKE TO APPEAR HELPFUL. THIS MAY BE EASIER OVER FEES IF, AS

睿

I ASSUME, THE PRESSURE ON SPACE AND THE LARGE NUMBER OF REFUGEES ALREADY IN HONG KONG REQUIRING PROCESSING ARE MAJOR FACTORS.

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MR BLANKS DS11 MOD MR FITZGERALD,

HOME

MR R MACDOWALL) OFFICE MR WATTS, COMMUNITY PROGRAMME OFFICE,

HOME OFFICE

MR KIDD, HONG KONG GOVT. OFFICE

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