TNAG-0558-FCO40-653-Resettlement-of-Vietnamese-refugees-from-Hong-Kong-into-othe-1975 — Page 102

RECEIVED

From: Sir Frederic Bennett, M.P.

REGISTRY No.5?

\199

Minister State has/has not

seon.

Hi

• D.Dept.

for advice and draft reply

16 JUN 975

HOUSE OF COMMONS

from

ACK 18/20

1837 REF.

179

NEXT

Dear Rois

7th June, 1975

یمارستان

A

Rec'd and acid 16/6

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Rant, le

2016

Thank you for your letter of June 2nd. I had not previously sent on the attached copy-letter to a Minister because, despite my opposition to your government I have had no wish to exploit HMG's seemingly double-standards in regard to the differing treatment SO for - of Chilean and Vietnamese refuscens respectively, and, as the records show, I did everythin~ possible to rive someone on your Front Bench the opportunity to ̋makeishforthright and generous statement on this tragic aspect of the Vietnamese debacle. Even now I am holding off my final reply to my constituent until I see the reply Joan Lestor says she has under consideration to the UN Commissioner for Refugees (ane attached Question and Answer).

Quite frankly I think that this, if it in positive, will be much more satisfactory in allying my constituent's concern and my own, than yet another Ministerial letter such as I have received from Roy Jenkins, which denies political partiality between Chilean and Vietnamese refugees respectively, but in fact only helps to prove the case I have felt it right to make.

Finally,

I quite agree with the second sentence of your second paragraph and only wish I could say the same for HMG!

Your mincerely

Fredelic

The Rt. Hon. Roy Hattersley, M.P.,

Minister of State,

Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Whitehall,

LONDON S.W.1