TNAG-0884-FCO40-1094-Refugees-from-Vietnam-in-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-boat-people-1979 — Page 58

GPS 533

CONFIDENTIAL

Quantilly Aur Morgan has spoken 5/616

Nose

Washington about:

CONFIDENMAL (a) the need for UNHER

FM UKMIS CENEVA 030758Z.

TO PRIORITY FCO

TEL NO 133 OF 2 MAY 79

PA.

HKK 243/1

to be told that us will take Vietnamen refryces from Hk. who had stopped

un Clarime

The

( the need for the to be

michurried in the SPC Schert Washington whi Stave Dept.

MANILA, TOKYO,

INFO JAKARTA, BANGKOK, KUALA LUMPUR, SINGAPORE, WASHINGTON AND GOVERNOR HV KÜNŊ4.5

(581

prens on thing

MURRAY'S TELELETTER OF 24 APRIL TO JAKARTA: SPECIAL PROCESSING

CENTRE FOR VIETNAMESE REFUGEES

se

IN ACCORDANCE WITH PARA 9 OF YOUR LETTER UNDER REFERENCE, I TOOK ADVANTAGE OF A CALL YESTERDAY ON HARTLING, THE UNHCR, TO REVERT TO THE SPECIAL PROCESSING CENTRE. DEPLOYING THE ARGUMENTS IN PARA 5 OF THE LETTER, I ASKED HIM TO USE HIS INFLUENCE WITH ASEAN TO ENSURE THAT HONG KONG WAS INCLUDED IN THE SCHEME ON AN EQUAL FOOTING WITH THE ASEAN COUNTRIES. HARTLING REPLIED

THAT UNTIL THE ASEAN COUNTRIES HAD REACHED AGREEMENT AMONG THEMSELVES ON THE BROAD OUTLINES OF THE SCHEME, IN WHICH HE WOULD HAVE ONLY OPERATIONAL RESPONSIBILITY, HE HAD NO PARTICULAR INFLUENCE. MOREOVER, HE DID NOT WANT TO CET INVOLVED IN POLITICAL QUESTIONS SUCH AS WHICH COUNTRIES OR WHICH CATEGORIES OF REFUGEES SHOULD HAVE ACCESS TO THE CENTRE: THESE WERE MATTERS

FOR THE ASEAN COUNTRIES TO SETTLE AMONG THEMSELVES. HE WENT ON TO SUGGEST THAT WE MIGHT ASK THE AMERICANS AND THE JAPANESE,

ROM THE INDONESIANS WERE MAINLY EXPECTING TO FINANCE THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE CENTRE, TO RAISE OUR CONCERN WITH ASEAN. I CONTESTED HIS LACK OF INFLUENCE. I ARGUED THAT SINCE HE WAS

TO HAVE OPERATIONSL RESPONSIBILITY FOR RUNNING THE CENTRE IT WAS SURELY APPROPRIATE FOR FIM TO ENSURE FROM THE OUTSET THAT

CONDITIONS WERE SUCH AS TO GIVE HIM THE MAXIMUM FLEXIBILITY IN DEALING WITH THE PROBLEM AS A WHOLE OF INDCHINESE REFUGEES. IT WAS IMPORTANT THAT THERE SHOULD NOT BE ANY APPEARANCE OF

DISCRIMINATION AGAINST HONG KONG, PEOPLE IN HONG KONG WOULD SIMPLY NOT UNDERSTAND, AND TO THAT EXTENT MIGHT BECOME LESS CO-OPERATIVE GENERALLY IN THE MATTER OF THE REFUGEES.

12. ALTHOUGH

CONFIDENTAL