TNAG-0587-FCO40-720-Aid-from-UK-for-Vietnamese-refugees-in-Hong-Kong-1976 — Page 48

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TO PRIORITY FCO TELNO 986 OF 1 NOVEMBER 1976...

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1 NJ 1976

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NKK 243 548/1 3/54811

REPEATED FOR INFO TO PRIORITY OTTAWA, ROUTINE UKMIS GENEVA, WASHINGTON AND SINGAPORE...

YOUR TEL 449: VIETNAMESE REFUGEES: W.S. MATHER.

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1. YOU WILL BE AWARE THAT WE HAVE BEEN IN CLOSE TOUCH WITH THE CANADIAN EMBASSY HERE, AS SOON AS IT BECAME KNOWN THAT THE AMERICANS MIGHT NOT BE ABLE TO TAKE THE REFUGEES THE CANADIAN IMMIGRATION REPRESENTATIVE TELEGRAPHED HIS PARENT MINISTRY (OUR TEL 963 REFERS) WHO HAVE REPLIED SAYING THAT THE REFUGEES SHOULD BE INTERVIEWED AND CONSIDERED FOR ACCEPTANCE ON THE BASIS OF "'REFUGEE 11'' CRITERIA, THIS MEANS THAT IF IT IS CONSIDERED THAT THEY CAN BE RESETTLED QUICKLY WITH ONLY LIMITED INITIAL HELP FROM THE GOVERNMENT, THEY CAN BE ACCEPTED. ON THIS BASIS IT IS THEIR RESPECTIVE QUALIFICATIONS THAT ARE THE

IMPORTANT FACTOR.

2. LAVOIR, WHO HAS BEEN MOST HELPFUL AND WHO IS FAMILIAR WITH THE VIETNAMESE REFUGEE PROBLEM, HAS ARRANGED TO INTERVIEW THE HEADS OF FAMILIES ON 2 NOVEMBER. HE STATED HOWEVER THAT HAVING SEEN THE GROUP'S APPLICATION FORMS HE WAS NOT OPTIMISTIC BUT OTHER THINGS BEING EQUAL HE WOULD TRY TO GIVE THEM THE BENEFIT OF ANY DOUBTS IN VIEW OF THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE CASE. HE IS FULLY AWARE OF THE BACKGROUND AND OF THE FACT THAT THE

WS MATHER IS CANADIAN OWNED.

3. MEMBER OF CHANCERY TOLD LAVOIR THAT AN APPROACH WAS BEING MADE IN OTTAWA, LAVOIR THOUGHT THIS COULD BE HELPFUL BUT STATED THAT USUALLY IN SUCH CASES THE FINAL DECISION WAS LEFT TO THE MINISTRY RESPONSIBLE. LAVOIR CONFIRMED THAT HE WOULD BE SEEING THE WHOLE GROUP AND NOT JUST THE 13 WHO MAY HAVE PREVIOUSLY ASKED TO GO TO CANADA, HE ADDED THAT THEY HAD NOT AS FAR AS HE KNEW SUBMITTED APPLICATIONS FROM SINGAPORE.

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