TNAG-0587-FCO40-720-Aid-from-UK-for-Vietnamese-refugees-in-Hong-Kong-1976 — Page 133

RESTRICTED

My th

GPS 360 IMMÉDIATE

CYPHER/CAT A

FM FCO 21161?7

RESTRICTED

22 SEP 1976

(NO. 51

AKK 243/5481

ALT.

LAST

T-

XT

TO IMMEDIATE UKMIS GENEVA TELNO 188 OF 21 SEPTEMBER

INFO IMMEDIATE TOKYO HONG KONG SINGAPORE ROUTINE OTTAWA ``KUA

LUMPUR PARIS JAKARTA MANILA.

(45)

YOUR TELNO 277 AND TOKYO TELNO 849: VIETNAMESE REFUGEES: MS MATHER

1. PLEASE TELL UNHCR THAT A GENERAL UNDERTAKING OF RESPONSIBILITY

FOR THESE REFUGEES PRESENTS US WITH VERY GREAT DIFFICULTIES AS

THIS WOULD BE CONTRARY TO OUR IMMIGRATION POLICY, ONCE A UNHCR

REPRESENTATIVE HAS INTERVIEWED THE REFUGEES, WE SHALL. OF COURSE

DE PREPARED TO CONSIDER THE CASES OF ANY WHO EXPRESS A WISH TO

COME TO THE UK.

2. YOU SHOULD REMIND UNHCR THAT, IN THE CASE OF THE REFUGEES ON BOARD THE QUOTE AVA UNQUOTE, THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT AGREED TO

LAND THEM TEMPORARILY ONLY WHEN THE UNHCR HAD AGREED TO ASSUME

FULL RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEM. WE WOULD HOPE THE UNHCR COULD GIVE

A SIMILAR ASSURANCE IN RESPECT OF THE REFUGEES ON THE QUOTE

MATIER UNQUOTE, AND THAT THIS ASSURANCE WOULD ENABLE THE

AUTHORITIES, EITHER IN JAPAN OR AT THE MATHER'S NEXT PORT OF CALL (SINGAPORE), TO ALLOW THEM TO LAND.

3. WE NOTE (WASHINGTON TELNO 3152, PARA 2) THAT THE AMERICANS

WOULD PREFER THE 20 WHO WISH TO GO TO THE US, TO BE LANDED IN HONG KONG FOR PROCESSING. SUBJECT TO HONG KONG'S VIEWS, WE SUGGEST THAT

THIS PROPOSITION SHOULD NOT BE PURSUED. IT WOULD NOT BE REASONABLE FOR HONG KONG TO BE ASKED TO BECOME THE PRINCIPAL (CR SOLE) TRANSIT

CENTRE FOR VIETNAMESE REFUGEES IN ORDER TO SIMPLIFY AMERICAN

PROCESSING ARRANGEMENTS. AS WASHINGTON WILL HAVE SEEN FROM THEIR

COPY OF THE HONG KONG SECRETARY FOR SECURITY'S LETTER OF 6

SEPTEMBER TO STEWART, THE MAJORITY OF THE REFUGEES FROM THE

QUOTE AVA UNQUOTE AND TWO OTHER VESSELS WHICH ARRIVED IN AUGUST

ARE STILL IN HONG KONG AWAITING RESETTLEMENT ELSEWHERE.

14.

RESTRICTED