CONFIDENTIAL
HKK 243/1
RECEIVED IN REGISTRY NO. 51. 1 1 DEC 1978
DESK OFFICEA
REGOTRY Action Ten
as
Secretary of State
INDEX
No
335
/immigrants
UNHCR CONSULTATIONS ON INDO-CHINESE REFUGEES
1
345
I have seen a copy of Mr Murray's minute to you on this subject.
2. I agree that we should try to make a constructive input and should emphasise our substantial financial contribution to the UNHCR. But it is clear that, even if we persuade the Home Office to take an extra 1,500 boat people, our ability to offer practical help will be limited. It is important that we should make clear the main reason: namely that we are admitting 70,000 or so/neiane a year already and our capacity to absorb is not unlimited.
3. There is a case for an appeal to be made to Vietnam to take steps to reduce the flow of refugees. But if this is to be successful we should have to consider how this can best be made effective. An appeal that is accompanied by a violent attack is perhaps the least likely to succeed. Nor are we well placed, given our own relatively poor performance in accepting the boat people ourselves, to take the lead in any such action.
4.
Two or
The country that might well be asked to do more in receiving the refugees is China: many of them (the great majority at present, I believe) are Chinese by race. three months ago when Chinese refugees were seeking to cross into China on Vietnam's northern border, China gave an assurance of her desire to help them. I believe that at the meeting in Geneva we should seek to explore the willingness of the Chinese to take a significant proportion of those now leaving Vietnam who are of Chinese race.
C
Umart.
اله
سا
6 December 1978
(Evan Luard)
CONFIDENTIAL
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