TNAG-0847-FCO40-1057-Visits-of-Sir-Murray-MacLehose--Governor-of-Hong-Kong--to-th-1979 — Page 66

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d) Timely reinforcement would also serve the political purpose

of showing the Chinese that we meant business. If we failed

to reinforce they would conclude that the British Government

attached little importance to the problem and would not

take action on their side of the border. The flow of

illegals would increase and much heavier reinforcements

would be needed to stem it.

2.

Summing up a short discussion, the Secretary of State said

that the requests made by the Governor were moderate against the

background which he had described. He undertook to speak to the

Defence Secretary.

Vietnamese refugees

3. Sir Murray MacLehose described the present situation in Hong

Kong, where there were now 52,000 refugees from Vietnam. Accommo-

dation was desperately short and there was a real risk that the

numbers would have doubled by the end of the summer. But there was

no alternative to allowing the small boat refugees in: Hong Kong

was at the end of the line and there was nowhere else for them to

The only solution was to turn off the tap by putting pressure

on Vietnam. If that happened the remaining refugees would be

comparatively easy to absorb, particularly if countries could

agree to take a fixed quota. Hong Kong would take its share.

go.

4. The following points were made in discussion:-

a) We should be clear about the purpose of the international

/conference

CONFIDENTIAL