TNAG-0556-FCO40-651-Resettlement-of-Vietnamese-refugees-from-Hong-Kong-into-othe-1975 — Page 84

Mr Kale PS/Mr Ennals

PS

Phuke

$227.

CONFIDENTIAL

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HONG KONG: VIETNAMESE REFUGEES

Problem

1.

As the Secretary of State is aware, more than 4,600 Vietnamese refugees are now in Hong Kong. In his telno. 451 (now also copied to Canberra and Wellington), the Governor raised the

problems of finding permanent homes for these refugees elsewhere and of the practical difficulties for Hong Kong meanwhile.

2.

I understand from Mr Dales that the Secretary of State has already agreed that Hong Kong should now issue a public statement that her capacity to absorb further refugees is exhausted and that

they should refuse permission to land to the 27 on the Swedish vessel MS Japan except for humanitarian reasons (e.g. for hospitalisation). I have already telephoned this to the Assistant Political Adviser, Hong Kong, and sent a confirmatory telegram.

It

may be that my telephone call was in time to head off the landing of the 27.

3.

We now have to take follow up action, bearing in mind the Governor's view (his telno. 442) that the present position would be more acceptable locally if the people of Hong Kong believe that HMG was doing all it could to help.

Recommendations

4.

I recommend:

(i)

that HM Embassy in Washington should be instructed to support the representations Hong Kong has already made to the US Consul-General there about accepting these refugees. In view of the United States domestic problem, we could perhaps refine our position by asking the Americans to accept those with American connections; to help us to find homes elsewhere for others; and to

take any residuum for whom homes cannot be found

elsewhere;

CONFIDENTIAL

/(ii)