TNAG-0881-FCO40-1091-Refugees-from-Vietnam-in-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-boat-people-1979 — Page 21

ADVANCES BOAT PEOPLE

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PS/LORD GORONWY FOBERTS

PS/R LUARD PS/PUS

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MR CORTAZZI

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HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE

LONDON

ER BURLEIGH HOME OFFICE

QUEEN ANNE'S GATE

HR BIRT HOME OFFICE

32 VAD DE ARTISTRY NO. 51 22 FEB 1979

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CONFIDENTIAL

FM WASHINGTON 212035Z FEB 79

TO IMMEDIATE FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE

TELEGRAM NUMBER 729 OF 21 FEBRUARY 1979

INFO PRIORITY OTTAWA, CANBERRA, BONN, PARIS, JAKARTA, UKMIS GENEVA.

39° YOUR TELNO 348: PROPOSED ISLAND REPROCESSING CENTRE FOR VIETNAMESE

REFUGEES.

1. NOW THAT U S HOLIDAYS AND RECOVERY FROM HEAVY SNOW PERMIT, WE HAVE COMPARED NOTES WITH STATE DEPARTMENT (LOWMAN, DIRECTOR OF OFFICE OF REFUGEE AND MIGRATION AFFAIRS).

2. LOWMAN AGREED THAT IT WOULD BE UNREALISTIC TO EXPECT THIRD COUNTRIES TO OFFER BLANKET GUARANTEES FOR THE UNKNOWN NUMBER OF REFUGEES WHO MIGHT ARRIVE ON THE ISLAND. BUT THE AMERICANS ARE ALSO VERY CONSCIOUS OF THE NEED TO AVOID AN OUTRIGHT REJECTION OF THE PROPOSAL BECAUSE OF THE POSSIBLE ADVERSE REACTION FROM THE ASEAN COUNTRIES. THE STATE DEPARTMENT HAVE THEREFORE DEEN EXPLORING