TNAG-0556-FCO40-651-Resettlement-of-Vietnamese-refugees-from-Hong-Kong-into-othe-1975 — Page 92

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Security Classification

CONFIDENTIAL

Prece PRIORI

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Department

Drafted by

P L O'KEEFFE

TELEGRAM

(Block Capitals) jā.......in................................................

DESKBY..............

Tel. Extn.........

FOR COMMS, DEPT. USE

(Date)

Despatched

(Time) ........................Z

PREAMBLE

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(Time of Origin)

............Z(G.M.T.)

CONFIDENTIAL

(Security Class. /

TO.........PRIORITY

(precedence)

CANBERRA

(post)

XY 42

(Restrictive Prefix)........................ (Caveat]

Privacy Marking).maimi...tannn.....nili..............

(Deskbý).......................ïíä

AND TO (precedence/post).... PRIORITY WELLINGTON, STOCKHOLM, COPENHAGEN

AND SAVING TO........................................................

REPEATED TO (for info)... ÆRIORITY.......HONG KONG, WASHINGTON... OTTAWA... PEKING.........................

MANILA, SINGAPORE (SAIGON UNIT)

SAVING TO (for Info)............

[TEXT]

to Hans Kang

My telno. 367:

Vietnamese Refugees in Hong

Kong.

1.

bieg töl

Please approach the Governments to which you are accredited at the appropriate level and speak as follows:-

(a) The problem of 4,600 Vietnamese refugees in Hong Kong is now acute. There is a need to find homes for them. Hong Kong already absorbs 36,000 Chinese immigrants a year which they cannot refuse.

This, together with the illegal immigrants, who it is reasonable to suppose escape detection, is roughly equivalent to, in UK terms, the absorption of one million immigrants a year. This causes very considerable strain on the Colony's social services and it would be quite wrong for Hong Kong to be expected to take all those refused by e.g. Singapore and Manila or permanently to house those who have already arrived.

(b) ...