CONFIDENTIAL
Copez on HKK 243/1
tas 500
CONFIDENTIAL
FM YG KONG 131005Z DEC 78
TO PR.ORITY F C O
TELEGRAM NUMBCR 1432 OF 13 DECEMBER
INFO PRIORITY UKMIS GENEVA, PEKING, WASHINGTON
INFO ROUTINE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE LONDON.
INFO SAVING HANOI
AKK 243/333
-HISK 341/1
RELIVED,..
DESA
INDEX
14 DEC 1978
(171
en
to Man CLE
YOUR TELNO RETRACT 8261 2 AND UKMIS GENEVA TELNO I TO PEKING
(NOT TO HONGAID): INDO-CHINA REFUGEES AND IMMIGRATION FROM CHINA.
WE ARE ENCOURAGED BY THE REPORT THAT THE UK IS ''URGENTLY AND
SYMPATHETICALLY CONSIDERING'' ACCEPTING MORE REFUGEES FROM INDO-CHINA. WE APPRECIATE THAT AT THIS STAGE IT IS NOT POSSIBLE
TO SUGGEST THAT THE BULK OF ANY NEW PLACES MADE AVAILABLE WOULD GO TO BOAT REFUGEES IN HONG KONG. HOWEVER, UNLESS ANY UK OFFER IS PART OF A GLOBAL SCHEME WHICH WILL MAKE ADEQUATE NUMBERS AVAILABLE FOR BOAT REFUGEES THROUGHOUT THE REGION, WE TRUST THAT
MOST PLACES WILL BE FOR REFUGEES HERE.
2. IF WE ARE ASKED ABOUT THE STATEMENT THAT THE UK DOES NOT HAVE
''ANY AUTOMATIC COMMITMENT'' TO TAKE BOAT REFUGEES IN HONG KONG,
WE SHALL POINT OUT THAT THIS IS NOT INCOMPATIBLE WITH HMG'S
ACCEPTANCE OF ''SPECIAL RESPONSIBILITY'' FOR SUCH REFUGEES
[FCO SPOKESMAN ON 15 NOVEMBER - COI RETRACT 32515). ·
3, INCIDENTALLY, THE PROBLEM WITH THE 4,900 OR SO BOAT REFUGEES
HERE AT PRESENT IS NOT THAT THEY CANNOT BE SETTLED ''ELSEWHERE''
(PARA 1 OF YOUR T U R), BUT THAT THE LIMITED NUMBER OF PLACES
AVAILABLE MEANS THAT RESETTLEMENT WILL BE AN EXTREMELY LONG
PROCESS, CREATING DIFFICULTIES BOTH FOR THE REFUGEES AND FOR
HONG KONG.
4. 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 TELNO 1). THE PRECISE FIGURES (SEE MY TELNOS 1480 PARAS 1 AND 2 AND 1409 NOTES
A AND C) ARE THAT, AT 7 DECEMBER
A. 11,987 REFUGEES AND DISPLACED PERSONS (OF WHICH 228 BOAT
REFUGEES) HAD BEEN SETTLED IN HONG KONG :
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CONFIDENTIAL
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