TNAG-0558-FCO40-653-Resettlement-of-Vietnamese-refugees-from-Hong-Kong-into-othe-1975 — Page 152

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CONFIDENTIAL

5.

The formula in my telno. 418 was intended to bring out the fact that the money was for Vietnamese refugees in transit in Hong Kong. This was because Mrs Hart's minute drew a distinction between money for this purpose and the more general problem of the cost of resettlement which she would like to consider separately and in a broader context. As it happens, this suited us as well since the £20,000 could be publicly represented, as indeed it is, as a contribution to the temporary transit problem. We also have a lever for approaching the ODM for further sums for resettlement should this be a necessary inducement for other governments considering taking the refugees

in.

6.

I should perhaps explain that we have sent Mrs Hart's Private Secretary a copy of your telno. 507 indicating a general lack of willingness to return to Vietnam since we believe that she, like the UNHCR, apparently believes that voluntary repatriation may be expected to be the preferred solution in an increasingly large number of cases (on which please see the attached copy of the Commissioner's telegram to the Secretary of State).

7.

In the light of the above considerations, I hope that you can agree that we are working on the right lines. We shall of course be keeping up the pressure both on the financial side and on the question of resettlement. We are becoming increasingly concerned over the evidence that friendly countries have so far not responded as favourably as we would have wished and all suggestions from Hong Kong on further moves we could make will be very welcome. Meanwhile can I just make the point that we are still not entirely clear on the state of play with all twenty of the governments you have approached in the light of Immigration Department's questioning of the refugees (our telno. 411). We need this for briefing Ministers.

Nauniuer

PL O'Keeffe

Hong Kong & Indian Ocean Dept.

CONFIDENTIAL