TNAG-0880-FCO40-1090-Refugees-from-Vietnam-in-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-boat-people-1979 — Page 77

ADVANCES BOAT PEOPLE

PS

FC/LORD GORONWY ROBERTS

+18

PS/ER LUARD

PS/PUS

KR BURLEIGH,

SIE A DUFF

Sir A Parsons

KR/CONTAZZI

KREIR

KR BIRT

EDYUND

IMMEDIATE

318

HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE

LONDON

HOME CPVICE QUEEN ANNE'S CATE

HOME OFFICE

LUNAR HOUSE CROYDON

HD/HEGD

HKK 240/1

BD/KVD

BD/REES DEPT

8/2

No

Jala

Me winamp J2/2

(WIR)

HD/S2AD Į

MR MURRA .R.C.!

GPS 280

CONFIDENTIAL

FM KUALA LUMPUR 0707402 FEB 79

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, ON 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.

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.