TNAG-0794-FCO40-998-Refugees-from-Vietnam-in-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-boat-people-1978 — Page 124

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wha

United Kingdom Mission 37-39 rue de Vermont 1211 Geneva 20

Telex 22956

Telegrams Prodrome Geneva

Telephone 34 38 00 33 23 85

Dutt + pas ра

(uc indesi)

Guto

44/12

I C Orr Esq

Government Secretariat

HONG KONG

HKK 243/1

Dear Lim,

DESK ON FIC

INDEX

FA

по

pen

Your reference

357

··Our reference

Daja

13 December 1978

CLE

REFUGEES IN HONG KONG

1.

356

Paragraph 4 of Hong Kong telno 1432 to FCO of 13 December says "We are not clear on what basis the figure was reached of"14,000 Indo- Chinese refugees" for whom Hong Kong has provided temporary or permanent shelter since 1975 (UKMIS Geneva telno 1)". I am sorry if there was a misunderstanding and we are setting the record straight with the High Commissioner himself today and explaining the total figure of 21,847 as calculated in your telegram under reference. The correct and full facts were set out in the background note on Hong Kong which we distributed during the Conference which David Snoxell has sent you and which was based on Hong Kong telnos 1408 and 1409.

2. I think the figure of 14,000 was culled from paragraph 5c of the FCO brief for the Conference which said "Since 1975 Hong Kong has accepted for permanent settlement some 10,000 people from Indo-China. there are at present some 4,000 Vietnamese refugees..... there most of whom have very little prospect of resettlement elsewhere".

3. As for paragraph 5 of Hong Kong telegram under reference I du not think you need fear that the impression was given that the figures used for legal and illegal immigrants from China referred to a long- term pattern. All the discussion at these consultations was clearly related to the present critical moment in time.

Yours encercly

Keith Maclace.

KG MacInnes

cc:

P Morgan Esq, UND, FCO

Humfrey Esq, SEAD, FCO

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