TNAG-0557-FCO40-652-Resettlement-of-Vietnamese-refugees-from-Hong-Kong-into-othe-1975 — Page 51

Foreign and Commonwealth Office London SW1

(180)

Miss S Unsworth

Disaster Unit

ODM

Telephone 01.

Your reference

Our reference

Date

27 May 1975

ра

1016

отувой на

ми

6

REIFFER VIN

DKE

wtr

VIETNAMESE REFUGEES IN HONG KONG

We spoke on the telephone on 27 May about the recent offer of up to £20,000 to Hong Kong to help the colony care for Vietnamese refugees in transit there.

1.

As you have not seen all of the relevant correspondence, I enclose:-

2.

(1) The FCO telegram to Hong Kong (No. 418) making the

I understand that Mr O'Keeffe cleared it with Mrs Hart's Private Secretary, Mr MacLean;

offer.

(2) Hong Kong's telegram in reply (No. 523, informing us of the estimated monthly cost of looking after the refugees (at least £100,000) and accepting our offer of up to £20,000 with thanks;

(3) Hong Kong telegram No. 524 giving the text of a press release in Hong Kong about the offer and Hong Kong's acceptance of it; and

(4) Hong Kong telegram No 525 drawing our attention to two snags arising from the offer.

3. One of the snags referred to by Hong Kong is that HMG's donation of up to £20,000 is small in comparison to the total cost. Hong Kong fear that this could give rise to adverse criticism. They have noted that we describe the donation as an "initial" one and ask whether, in the light of the details of monthly costs which they have provided; it is now HMG's intention to make a major contribution.

4.

We have received a copy of Mr Smith's submission of 16 May to your Minister in which it is envisaged that "a proportion" of the costs now falling on Hong Kong should be met by HMG. Can you tell me whether the ODM is yet able to decide what this proportion should

be?

D K Timms

Hong Kong & Indi: Ocess MS