TNAG-0884-FCO40-1094-Refugees-from-Vietnam-in-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-boat-people-1979 — Page 83

My dear Cimbansador.

Thank you for calling to see me on 1 May to discuss the forth- coming meeting in Jakarta on your Government's proposal to set up an island processing centre for refugees from Indo-China.

I explained to you that we should not be able to indicate our policy until a new Government takes office after 3 May, but that meanwhile I wanted to make clear the very real difficulty, with which we would be faced if Hong Kong were excluded from your Government's proposal. Such an exclusion would make it unlikely · that the United Kingdom could give financial support for the processing centre.

Thailand, Malaysia and Hong Kong are the three major destinations in South East Asia for the refugees. Despite its own serious problems of overcrowding, Hong Kong has been prominent in giving practical and humanitarian aid. There are at present over 23,000 refugees in the territory, of whom only 6,000 are under the care of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. Of the remainder about 14,000 are awaiting acceptance by the UNHCR, and more than 2,600 are still on board the Skyluck.

In addition Hong Kong has, since 1975, accepted for permanent settlement about 10,500 former residents of Indo-China, and has a continuing flow of immigrants from China.

The United Kingdom's primary responsibility must be to relieve the burden on Hong Kong. Nevertheless, we have also been able to show our sympathy and support for Thailand and Malaysia, by offering to resettle from each of them a number of refugees during this year. Deppite our own heavy immigration from the Sub- Continent for which we have a legal responsibility, we have already resettled about 1,500 refugees from Indo-China, and we are one of the leading contributors to the UNHCR's special programme for refugees from Indo-China.

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We share Professor Mochtar's concern to resolve this matter by discussion; we do not wish it to become an issue between the United Kingdom and Indonesia. This is why we have talked, in Geneva and

In addition we have taken informal Jakarta, to your Ministers. soundings in other ASEAN capitals and we have not heard any specific objection to including Hong Kong in the proposal.

I very much hope that your Government will be able to find a way which will enable us and Hong Kong to cooperate in this project.

Yours sincerely

Aj

2. Cortyz

A

1

HAH Cortazzi

Deputy Under-Secretary of State.