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5. (contd)
office and a locally engaged Vietnamese-speaking clerk whose time is almost wholly, occupied interviewing the refugees), he can do little more than try not to be swamped by immediate problems of accommodating and processing new arrivals. In any case, the US Consulate- General here believe that his failure to get the Macau transit scheme on the rails may be partly the result of instructions from Sampatkumar in Kuala Lumpur. We and the Americans believe that at least one more fairly senior UNHCR officer should be sent here so that more time can be spent finding a long-term solution to the accommodation problem and persuading other countries apart from the US to take refugees from Hong Kong.
6.
Concern in the State Department at the cost of accommodation in Hong Kong and possible criticism in Congress of "exploitation of refugees by Hong Kong hotel- owners" are factors which we shall have to take increasingly into account in tackling the problem. We hope that for these reasons the Americans have an added incentive to move refugees out of Hong Kong as quickly as possible. However, we realise that any preferential treatment for Hong Kong would quickly be noted by other countries in the region; and that the Americans will, therefore, find it very difficult to do anything to meet the request in our telegram No. 1020, para 4. (The interim reply in Washington telno 22 to us - not to all - is reassuring but still far too vague.) However, our feeling that it is necessary to take this tougher line with the Americans is reinforced by being told (in confidence please protect) by a member of the US Consulate-General that as a result of statements going beyond his brief made by Vice-President Mondale during his recent visit to Thailand, the Americans have already had to promise that 2,500 of the 12,500 places under the present programme for small-boat refugees will be allocated to Thailand. Grateful if Bangkok and Washington could check if this story is correct.
7.
We have been talking to a number of missions here but have not yet managed to secure any new offers to accept refugees, (It will, incidentally, help us in making representations if the group of 61 can soon be received and if the UK can perhaps take some more in the next few months). We are now planning to make a more formal approach next week to all missions here from countries which have taken refugees in the past from Hong Kong, asking them to take more; and also to those from countries which have taken refugees from elsewhere though not yet Hong Kong. If you agree, we should like all posts
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