A
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The
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There was some discussions to the numbers of refugees already accepted by various countries, particularly Australia, Federal Republic of Germany, Canada and the United States. Australians offered to take 150 pernous provided that others showed willing and did something similer. They pointed out that they had recently accepted 550 refurces from Thailand.
from Thailand. The US Embassy Representative explained the details of a new US programme in which they propose to take in 100 heads of family from Vietnam.. The French have set a figure of 1,000. per month for all Vietnamese
The Federal refugees. The Cenadius mentioned figure of 180. Republic of Germany have indicated that they would teke, 60. Sampatkumar has been informed by his headquarters that the United Kingdom are prepared to take 95 persons but he thought this referred mostly to those from Hong Kong. lle said that he thought that there would be only about 3 of these places taken up from long Kong. It wes his understanding that most of the Vietnamère refugees had already left there for other placen. He wondered whether it would be possible to utilise the balance of some 65 places for Halaysian bont refugees? He has already written to his headquarters, but asked me if I would' also nang on the request. I undertook to do so, but reminded Mr Sempatkumar that we had sent him guidelines on admission of Vietnamese refugeen to the UK only a few months aro (Sara Butchison's letter of 12 December 1975 and Berry's (MØVD) teleletter. of 18 October 1976).
5. You may be inte sted in seeing the attached papers which give rome idea of the distribution (there was some dispute about the
figures on page 1). llo specific comment was made that we had taken
no-one from Lalaysia (c.f. pere 2) but I felt that the fact had not
one unnoticed. Is there any chance of our diverting some of the
Hong Kong balance (if there in muy) to Malaysia?
A
Yours Ever.
Nakor.
MG Hilson
copy:
Chancery, TK1118 GENEVA
Enc
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