TNAG-0558-FCO40-653-Resettlement-of-Vietnamese-refugees-from-Hong-Kong-into-othe-1975 — Page 64

CONFIDEN MIAL IDENTIAL

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

London SW1

230

A E Donald Esq Political Adviser

ONG KONG

Telephone 01-

Your reference

Our reference

HKK 18/25

Date

2 July 1975

Dear Alem,

LAST

REF

(220)

NEL:

REF.

(250)

190)

√212

216

VIETNAMESE REFUGEES

1.

We were very grateful for the general round up in your letter of ↳ June; and thank you for continuing to keep us in the picture on your progress with resettlement by your letters of 18 and 25 June. I am sorry that we have not written again more 220quickly from this end; I have myself been in hospital during most

of the past fortnight and I am afraid that, except for the additionn] crant of 250,000, there has been little to report.

2.

You will presumably have seen from your copy of Jones varry's letter of 20 June (of which I enclose a further copy in case the first one, because of its strange style of address, did not reach you) that there continues to be a good prospect that the Canadians will o above their quota. It is also encouraging that there is now the possibility that you may be able to resettle a number of the refu,pes 229) in the Netherlands (our telno. 519).

222)

3rrice

On the other hand, as our telno. 509 inferred, the lione Office are continuing to drag their feet about admitting any of the refugees to the UK. We shall continue to bring pressure to bear at official level; and we are considering the advisability and timin, of a further Ministerial approach.

1.

We look forward to hearing about Jackson's visit to long, long and, in particular, his assessment of the prospects for voluntary repatriation.

5.

Finally, I should reiterate that the Ministry of Oversea Development currently consider that the new grant of 250,000 repr sents the limit of the financial assistance which we can provide.

can provide. This will not of course preclude us from tackling them again in, say, another couple of months if the facts so warrant; but you will appreci"te just how difficult it will be to get them to change their minds.

Your ener harpene

PLO'Keeffe

Hong Kong & Indian Ocean Dept.

CONFIDENTIAL

PA

B1)

317