TNAG-0653-FCO40-802-Previously-closed-extract-Folio-87.-Now-released-and-reunite-1977 — Page 19

Reg No.

SECURITY CLASSIFICATION

Top Secret,

Secret.

Confidential.

DRAFT

To:-

James Boyden Esq, MP

House of Commons

Type 1 +

From

Minister of State

Telephone No. Ext.

Restricted.

Unclassified.

PRIVACY MARKING

Cc:

.................................................... In Confidence

Dr Shirley

Summerskill

Home Office

Department

Thank you for your letter of 5 July about refugees

in Indo-China.

I share your concern for the very sad plight of the

"boat people". The points you have raised, however, about

accepting into the UK more Vietnamese refugees, over and

above our agreed quota of 116, and particularly of

accepting applications from those on board the "ROLAND"

and "LEAP DAL" who do not fall into this category, are

really matters for the consideration of the Home Office.

It was, of course, made clear to the UNHCR earlier this

year that we would expect the arrival here, of those whose

applications had been accepted by HMG, to be spread over

a reasonable period f time. I do not personally think

the Home Secretary would wish to consider extending our

quota, at least until most of those so far accepted have

been satisfactorily resettled here.

this

We have received, through UNHCR, 95 applications in all,

mostly from "boat people" in Singapore and Thailand:

figure includes applications from the 21 Vietnamese

refugees who were brought here from Japan in February.

1741

Dd 108097 4001 S&V 1/77