TNAG-0556-FCO40-651-Resettlement-of-Vietnamese-refugees-from-Hong-Kong-into-othe-1975 — Page 7

CONFIDENTIAL

-2-

Flag

67)

Flag Y

201

Flag K

Flag

78)

NEW ZEALAND

4. The New Zealand Government have promised an early reply but the High Commission is doubtful whether they will be moved to take more than a small quota (Wellington telno. 240). The Americans, incidentally, are receiving much the same signal from Wellington.

DENMARK

5. We had a telephone call from Copenhagen indicating that action has been taken there. The Danish Government may also wish to

work within the context of the UNHCR appeal. Meanwhile the Danish Honorary Consul-General in Hong Kong has been told that 35 of the

refugees have expressed some preference for final settlement in

Denmark. He will discuss this matter when he returns to Copenhagen on 17 May. (Hong Kong telno. 1 to Copenhagen).

SWEDEN

6. The Swedish Government have not yet made up their minds but the immigration authorities there are ready to deal with individual applications on their merits. There are political obstacles in accepting South Vietnamese in Sweden, where public opinion was entirely on the side of the north and the PRG. (Stockholm telno. 133).

FRANCE

7. Some 600 of the refugees claim a connection with France and 700 in total have expressed a wish to settle there, although not necessarily as a first preference. There may be others. We have

supported Hong Kong's representations to the French Government on this and the Quai have duly taken note. (Paris telno. 520).

BELGIUM, THE FRG,

THE FRG, ITALY

8. Preliminary investigations in Hong Kong provide evidence that 62 claim some connection with Belgium, 71 with the FRG and 28 with Italy. We have already supported Hong Kong's request that HM Embassy Brussels should make appropriate representations to the Belgian authorities and the draft telegram attached to the main submission herewith is designed to reinforce the position in Bonn and in Rome.

CONFIDENTIAL