TNAG-0881-FCO40-1091-Refugees-from-Vietnam-in-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-boat-people-1979 — Page 42

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3. 1 AM WORRIED THAT IF H.M.G DOES NOT PLAY AN ACTIVE PART IN THIS

T PROJECT, EITHER IT WILL COME TO NOTHING, OR IT WILL SUCCEED,

A) THE TRANSIT CENTRE WILL BE EXCLUSIVELY FOR THE USE OF ASE.N

COUNTRIES,

(B) THE BULK OF RESETTLEMENT OFFERS WILL BE DEVOTED TO THE TRANSIT CENTRE, AND

(C) THE BULK OF REFUGEES WILL COME HERE BECAUSE THEY THINK IT WOULD BE MORE COMFORTABLE THAN THE TRANSIT CENTRE.

4. I DO NOT THINK H.M.G NEED BE INHIBITED BY FEAR OF INVITING PRESSURE TO TAKE MORE REFUGEES. SURELY OTHER COUNTRIES WOULD APPRECIATE THAT WHILE THE U.K ALREADY ACCEPTS LARGE NUMBERS OF IMMIGRANTS EACH YEAR, AND THEREFORE CAN DO LITTLE ABOUT THE VIETNAMESE, IT HAS A RESPONSIBILITY FOR HONG KONG AND IS ENTITLED TO PRESS FOR ARRANGEMENTS THAT WILL HELP HONG KONG.

15. IF FINANCE IS A PROBLEM, HONG KONG WOULD BE PREPARED TO MAKE A

CONTRIBUTION IN ORDER TO PARTICIPATE IN THE SCHEME.

6. WHAT HONG KONG CANNOT AFFORD IS EITHER TO BE LEFT OUT OF A SCHEME OF THIS SORT OR TO DRIFT INTO A SITUATION WHERE WE ARE FORCED TO ACCEPT BOTH THOUSANDS MORE REFUGEES AND AN INADEQUATE

FLOW OF ONWARD RESETTLEMENT.

7. WOULD YOU CONSIDER SOUNDING ASEAN GOVERNMENTS, AND IF YOU THINK IT WOULD HELP, AND AT THE APPROPRIATE TIME, OFFERING FINANCIAL AID FROM HONG KONG ?

F.C.O PSE PASS SAVING HANOI.

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