TNAG-0884-FCO40-1094-Refugees-from-Vietnam-in-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-boat-people-1979 — Page 74

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FM UKMIS GENEVA 021740Z MAY 79

TO IMMEDIATE GOVERNOR HONG KONG

TELNO 5 OF 2 MAY 1979

INFO PRIORITY FCO AND WASHINGTON.

608

YOUR TELNO 9: VIETNAMESE REFUGEES REACHING HONG KONG VIA CHINA

1. AS WE AGREED ON THE TELEPHONE AND BEFORE RECEIPT OF YOUR TUR, I CALLED ON THE UN HIGH COMMISSIONER YESTERDAY AND PUT YOUR VIEWS TO HIM. I EXPLAINED TO HARTLING THAT CONTRARY TO WHAT THE US CONSUL GENERAL HAD BEEN REPORTED TO HIM AS TELLING THE UNHCR REPRESENTATIVE IN HONG KONG, AMBASSADOR CLARK HAD TOLD YOU THAT DY AND LARGE PEOPLE IN THIS CATEGORY WOULD BE TREATED AS INDO-CHINESE REFUGEES AND WERE THEREFORE ELECIBLE UNDER THE US RE-SETTLEMENT PROGRAMME. I SAID THAT YOU YOURSELF COULD NOT ACCEPT A DISTINCTION BETWEEN QUOTE BOAT PEOPLE UNQUOTE COMING

DIRECT FROM VIETNAM AND THOSE ARRIVING AFTER A COMPARATIVELY

BRIEF HALT IN CHINA. AS FAR AS YOU WERE CONCERNED THEY WERE

ALL REFUGEES FROM VIETNAM AND PART OF THE SAME PROBLEM. I WAS THEREFORE AT YOUR REQUEST URGING HIM TO ASSUME RESPONSIBILITY

FOR ALL THE PEOPLE IN THIS CATEGORY. HARTLING REMARKED WRYLY

THAT IF HE WERE GOVERNOR HE WOULD PROBABLY SAY THE SAME. BUT PE WAS CLEARLY A LITTLE SURPRISED AT WHAT HE WAS AS A SHIFT

IN US POSITION. HE COMMENTED THAT IS THE UNITED STATES WERE INDEED PREPARED TO ACCET PEOPLE IN THIS CATEGORY AS GENUINE REFUGEES AND IF THEY AND OTHER RE-SETTLEMENT COUNTRIES WERE PREPARED TO INCLUDE THEM IN RE-SETTLEMENT PROGRAMMES THEN HIS OWN PARTICULAR

PROBLEM WOULD DISAPPEAR. HIS ONLY CONCERN WAS NOT TO BE LEFT

WITH THE CARE AND MAINTENANCE OF A LARGE GROUP OF PEOPLE

FOR WHOM THERE WAS NO LIKLIHOOD OF FINAL RE-SETTLEMENT. HE ADDED THAT HE WOULD BE ABLE TO DISCUSS THIS FURTHER WITH CLARK WHEN THE LATTER VISITED GENEVA LATER THIS MONTH.

2. IN BRIEF, HARTLING STOPPED FIRMLY SHORT OF GIVING ME ANY COMMITMENT THAT HE WOULD NOW BE READY TO ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY

FOR THESE PEOPLE: BUT I GOT THE IMPRESSION THAT HE THOUGHT IT

INEVITABLE THAT HE WOULD IN THE LONG RUN HAVE TO DO SO.

CONFIDENTIAL

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