TNAG-0559-FCO40-654-Resettlement-of-Vietnamese-refugees-from-Hong-Kong-into-othe-1975 — Page 40

GRS 150

IMMEDIATE

DESKBY 2409002

CYPHER CAT/A

CONFIDENTIAL

320)

FM HONG KONG 240925Z

1KK 18/25°

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DESKBY 240900Z

TO IMMEDIATE F C O TELEGRAM NO 1064 OF 24 OCTOBER INFO PRIORITY

•

HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE LONDON.

YOUR TELEGRAM NO 802: PARLIAMENTARY QUESTION BY MR KENNETH CLARKE: VIETNAMESE REFUGEES.

SUGGESTED REPLY ON QUESTION ABOUT VIETNAMESE REFUGEES IS AS

FOLLOWS:

BEGINS:

''OF APPROXIMATELY 4,000 VIETNAMESE REFUGEES WHO ARRIVED IN HONG KONG LAST MAY, JUST OVER 300 REMAIN IN HONG KONG. IT IS HOPED THAT FURTHER DEPARTURES TO THE UNITED STATES WILL REDUCE THIS NUMBER TO ABOUT 200 BY THE END OF THIS MONTH.

THE PROSPECTS OF FINDING PERMANENT HOMES ELSEWHERE FOR THE MAJORITY OF THE BALANCE REMAINING ARE FAIRLY GOOD. THE UNITED KINGDOM HAS AGREED IN PRINCIPLE TO ACCEPT A MAXIMUM OF 150, EXCEPTIONALLY AND SUBJECT TO FINAL CLEARANCE, ALTHOUGH SOME OF THESE HAVE ALREADY LEFT FOR THE UNITED STATES.''

ENDS.

2. FIGURE GIVEN IN FIRST SENTENCE ABOVE TAKES ACCOUNT OF FACT THAT 350 REFUGEES WILL BE FLOWN OUT BY AMERICANS ON MONDAY 27

OCTOBER.

F CO PLEASE PASS COPY TO HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE LONDON.

MACLEHOSE HOSE

FILES

HKIOD

PARLY UNIT

PS/LORD GORONWY-ROBERTS

COPIES TO:

HONG KONG GOVT OFFICE 6, GRAFTON ST, W 1·

CONFIDENTIAL