(327
CONFIDENTIAL
tick 243/1
GPS 290
CONFIDENTIAL
FM KUALA LUMPUR 9737402 FEB 79
No
29/218
لا
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
TELEGRAM NUMBER 83 OF 7 FEBRUARY
INFO PRIORITY SINGAPORE JAKARTA BANGKOK MANILA WASHINGTON
- UKMIS GENEVA CANBERRA HONG KONG (FOR GOV) VIENTIANE
INFO SAVING
HANOI
MY TEL NO 79: REFUGEES
1. DURING CORTAZZI'S CALL ON ZAKARIA, SECRETARY GENERAL MFA, CN 6 FEBRUARY, THE LATTER RAISED THE QUESTION OF VIETNAMESE REFUGEES. HE SAID THAT MALAYSIAN UNDERSTOOD WHY BRITAIN WAS UNABLE TO TAKE MANY REFUGEES, BUT FELT THAT SHE HERSELF WAS UNABLE TO ACCOMMODATE ANY MORE. SINCE THE TOUGHER LINE HAD BEEN ANNOUNCED (MY TEL NOS 32 AND 41) THE RATE OF FLOW HAD SLOWED DOWN, POSSIBLY PARTLY DUE TO MONSOON, BUT AROUND 2000 A MONTH CONTINUED TO COME. UNFORTUNATELY THE RESPONSE FROM THE RECIPIENT COUNTRIES WAS STILL NOT REASSURING.
175
2. MALAYSIA WAS THEREFORE LOOKING FOR A PERMANENT SOLUTION IN THE FORM OF A PROCESSING CENTRE FOR REFUGEES WHO ARRIVED IN ANY ASEAN COUNTRY. THEY WERE SEEKING FROM THE US GOVERNMENT A LEGALLY- BINDING UNDERTAKING THAT ALL REFUGEES WOULD BE RESETTLED, LEAVING NO RESIDUE. ASEAN WOULD THEN UNDERTAKE TO PROVIDE AN ISLAND SITE FOR THE PROCESSING CENTRE. (WE UNDERSTAND THAT IN FACT, CONTRARY TO DENIALS, INDONESIA HAS ALREADY PROPOSED AN ISLAND.) MALAYSIA HOPED THAT THE AMERICANS WOULD DISCUSS THIS PROPOSAL WITH OTHER
RECIPIENT COUNTRIES.
3. CORTAZZI EXPRESSED BRITISH SYMPATHY AND SAID THAT DESPITE CUR DIFFICULTIES, WE WERE TRYING EXTREMELY HARD TO HELP AND HAD DONE WHAT WE COULD IN AGREEING TO RECEIVE A FURTHER 1500 REFUGEES FROM HONG KONG, THAILAND AND MALAYSIA. WE HAD ALSO MADE AND WOULD
CONFIDENTIAL
/CONTINUE
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