TNAG-0793-FCO40-997-Refugees-from-Vietnam-in-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-boat-people-1978 — Page 223

Foreign and Commonwealth Office London SW1A 2AH

Ms Thy from

Telephone 01.

259

M Head Esq

Home Office

Queen Anne's Gate

LONDON SW1

Dear Michael

THE "WELLPARK" REFUGEES FROM TAIWAN

1.

Your reference

Our reference

Date

UNS 243/4

31 October 1978

HKK 243/1

LIVED IN REGISTRY NO. 51

- 2 OCT 1978

DESK OF CER

INDEX

PA

REC RY

Action

محمدم

1 should have written before now to thank you! for the v speely and impressive way your department, in collaboration with the voluntary agencies, organized emergency reception arrangements for the 346 refugees recently brought to the UK from Taiwan. We are most grateful to you and all concerned.

2.

Barrie Denton of the Ockenden Venture recently called on Pat Morgan of this department to put some points (in a very friendly and informal way) in connection with any future accommodation Arrangements here for refugees. He suggested that the Government might, in future, be spared considerable expense if some advance consideration could be given, on a contingency basis, to arranging accommodation other than at Kensington Barracks where I gather the rent is very high. He said that, for an initial outlay of some £20,000 (to be used for furnishing, heating and other equipment), the Ockenden Venture ought to be able to utilise Donnington Hall for accommodating between 300 and 350 refugees at a time. The rent would be considerably less than that of Kensington Barracks and should, in the long run, result in savings for the Government. thought that some forward planning of this sort would take much of the steam out of ad hoc crises.

He

3. Morgan told Denton he appreciated the problem and could see the Sense in the latter's proposal, but he added that it would probably be very difficult to plan ahead effectively since we had no idea exactly how many Indo-Chinese refugees might come to the UK over the next year or so. Much would depend on the frequency of rescue operations by British ships, the attitudes of other governments and many other factors. Morgan suggested it would be best for Denton to speak to you on the matter, which he undertook to do.

You may See some merit in his suggestion, which I thought it right to pass on to you.

CC

Your Kong & General Dept

· South-East Asia Dept

что его

Michel Simpsons

MK O Simpson-Orlebar United Nations Department