TNAG-0558-FCO40-653-Resettlement-of-Vietnamese-refugees-from-Hong-Kong-into-othe-1975 — Page 124

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Mr Wilford

PS/Lord Goronwy-Roberts

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1916

RESETTLEMENT OF VIETNAMESE REFUGEES AT PRESENT IN HONG KONG

Lord Goronwy-Roberts will wish to see the attached letter from the Political Adviser, Hong Kong, which summarises the progress which the Hong Kong Government have made in resettlement. I submitted an interim report on this subject on 5 June.

2.

Mr Donald's round-up is more encouraging than might have been expected. Although only 340 of the refugees have so far actually left Hong Kong, it looks as though a total of about actu 2,000/may be resettled by the end of the summer. The most significant news is that the United States have conditionally approved applications from 1,141 of the refugees and there is a reasonable chance that the Americans may take even more in due course. Other good news is that the French are taking a large number of Hong Kong refugees and that the Canadians may well take more than the 300 we had hitherto been counting on.

3.

On the other hand, Mr Donald doubts whether Australia will accept more than a handful of refugees unless we bring successful pressure to bear. The High Commission in Canberra continue to think there might still be some advantage in a high level approach (Canberra telno. 508); but I am inclined to defer this until we

know the outcome of the current visit to Hong Kong by the UNHCR's

representative, Mr Kadry. Mr Whitlam has made it clear that he wishes to deal with the problem through the UNHCR: and it would be better in my view to hang any approach to Mr Whitlam on whatever emerges from the Kadry mission.

4.

We must hope that Australia can be moved on this issue in due course. Even with the relatively good news contained in Mr Donald's letter, there may well remain 1,500 to 2,000 refugees left in Hong Kong for whom homes will have to be found. Apart from resettlement in the countries mentioned (and Australia), the next

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/most likely