CONFIDENTIAL
7. You should then point out that you will not of course get your
instructions for the 15/16 May meeting until after the new British
Government has taken office; but that if Indonesia insists on
excluding Hong Kong refugees from the Island you expect your
instructions may well be to speak in open session as in (a) to (d)
above and to say that this selectivity means that we must deploy our
available resources to relieving Hong Kong and may neither contribute
to the Island nor take refugees from it. It is our hope and, we
assume, the Indonesians', that we can avoid this. No commitment can
be made for a new British Government, nor indeed for the Hong Kong
Government. Nevertheless you believe that if the Island accepted a
proportionate flow of refugees from Hong Kong as from ASEAN terri-
tories, the Hong Kong Government itself might be prepared to
contribute.
i
8. I should be grateful if John Weston would ask the Americans,
who are aware of the serious increase in refugee arrivals in Hong
Kong and whom we understand are keen supporters, of the transit centre
proposal, whether they would also consider speaking to the Indonesians
with a view to having Hong Kong included in this scheme. We should
be most grateful for any support they can give in this regard. The
fact that they expect to take fewer refugees from Hong Kong during
April and May (Hong Kong telno 475 not to all) might be an added
inducement to them to help us.
9. Hugh Cortazzi or I will speak to Saleh next week along the lines
of paras 5 to 7 above. Meanwhile we would also like James Murray to
continue to argue with UNHCR for Hong Kong's inclusion in the scheme.
10.
Finally it would be helpful if Donald Hawley and Peter Tripp
could say whether they think an approach to the Malaysians and Thais
might be helpful.
11. The copies of this teleletter for Washington, Geneva and
Hong Kong go by bag.
DF Murray
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