TNAG-0792-FCO40-996-Refugees-from-Vietnam-in-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-boat-people-1978 — Page 172

(contd)

CONFIDENTIAL

2

f

150

3.

*

There are a few loose ends to be tied up. We gather from the Canadian Commission here that the Canadian offer to give prior consideration to the

"AVON FOREST" refugees holds good, but that they would still need to be interviewed and medically examined here. There are obvious advantages in as many as possible of them going to Canada rather than the UK. We are willing to let them transit here, exceptionally for two weeks, provided any who cannot be accepted by Canada go on to the UK within one week. There is no real point in their staying in Taiwan until the three months are up and the Americans believe it would be helpful, in view of the Taiwanese request for as many as possible to leave within a month, if they could come here before the end of September. We shall work out precise timing here, which will be crucially dependent on the ability of UNHCR to provide accommodation (see para 4 below). However, there is also the question of costs. I do not know if our telegram No. 1008 reached you before a decision had been taken in answer to para 4 of our telegram No. 1007 (not to all). It still appears that some source of funds other than UNHCR or ICE M will have to be found for the air fares from Taiwan to Hong Kong. I should be grateful if you could sort this out with the Home Office/Canadians/owners of the "AVON FOREST" and let us know the answer by telegram so that I CEM can be ready to make arrangements at short notice.

The Wider Problem

4.

You will be aware from our telegram No. 1020 (not to all) that the overall refugee problem here has become much more severe with the arrival 402 refugees

(almost all ethnic Chinese) aboard the frigate USS "WHIPPLE". Yesterday, 157 more refugees arrived on a Hong Kong junk and, as I write, it is not at all clear how UNHCR will cope. There is thus added urgency to our need to see progress on the points we have suggested UK MIS Geneva should raise with UNHCR.

You will wish to know that the Americans, here and (particularly) in the State Department are increasingly dissatisfied with UNHCR's performance in Hong Kong. I have heard some criticism of the effectiveness of Chris Carpenter, the Kuala Lumpur-based officer who has set up a temporary office here. From all I have seen he has been working extremely hard: given his tiny supporting staff (a young Dutch girl who has only had a few weeks' experience in the Kuala Lumpur

5.

but,

CONFIDENTAL

-/3