P M Maxey Esq UN Department
FCO
CONFIDENTIAL
051/8
bow 20/g/n 4/17/1 noticol
by. I wk isim
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10 August 1976
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UNHCR AND VIETNAMESE REFUGEES
UNS/243/698/1
1. You will have seen from my telegram No 252 that we spoke again to the UNHCR Secretariat stressing the need to internationalise the handling of "small boat" refugees from Vietnam and elsewhere in Indo-China.
2.
As a matter of fact, however, I do not think that, for the time being at least, there is much that the High Commissioner can do on his own to ensure the success of his proposed scheme. I expect that he will keep prodding the governments who have a part to play - both those of first asylum and those of permanent settlement.
Thus, I understand that Hong Kong's willingness to allow the "Meiabeto" refugees has been used by the UNHCR as an example to press upon the Singaporeans. But I believe that Wilson of the State Department was right in thinking that the High Commissioner's proposals must be pushed forward with urgent bilateral, and perhaps subsequently multi- lateral, lobbying if they are to make much progress.
3. The best first step might perhaps be to discuss tactics with the US authorities. Admittedly our concerns stem from different origins they are chiefly out to share the burden of permanent settlement, while we want to get more of the load off Hong Kong as a country of first asylum - both directly by ensuring speedy onward movement and indirectly by getting others (eg Singapore) in the area to allow themselves to be used for first asylum. But our objectives seem to be the same, viz to get other countries of permanent settle- ment to accept more refugees and to do so quicker and in an organised way as suggested by UNHCR.
·4.
No doubt we should carry more weight with other potential recipients of permanent settlers if we could undertake a share, of the burden ourselves. I was therefore glad to see from Morgan's letter of 30,July to MacDowell that the advance draft of the High Commissioner's proposed scheme has been passed to the Home Office for study - no doubt the final version of the scheme (see the Deputy High Commissioner's letter of 28 July to the Secretary of State) has now been substituted. It would be helpful in future contacts with UNHCR, and with the Americans and others here, to know what bilateral action you contemplate to help get the scheme moving.
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