TNAG-0885-FCO40-1095-Refugees-from-Vietnam-in-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-boat-people-1979 — Page 62

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J2251 2

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1. CLARK, US REFUGEE CO-ORDINATOR, IS IN GENEVA FOR THE ICEM pee(74)

SPECIAL COUNCIL MEETING WHICH HAS AN ITEM ON

INDO-CHINESE

(FRG, FRANCE

REFUGEES. A MEETING OF CERTAIN RESETTLEMENT COUNTRIES AUSTRIA, UK JAPAN, AUSTRALIA, BOLIVIA AND COLOMBIA) WAS HELD AT THE US MISSION FOR AN INFORMAL DISCUSSION WITH HIM ON THE RESPONSE BY GOVERNMENTS TO THE RECENT VIETNAMESE OFFER TO PERMIT 13,000 PEOPLE TO LEAVE PER MONTH AGAINST RESETTLEMENT OFFERS.

433-633,832. 2. CLARK SAID THAT THIS COULD AMOUNT TO A TOTAL OF THE US HAD PUT OUT A NON-COMMITTAL STATEMENT PENDING CONSIDERATION OF WHAT THEY MIGHT DO, BUT THE US HAD NOW REACHED ITS LIMIT WITH THE ACCEPTANCE OF 7,830 INDO-CHINESE REFUGEES PER MONTH FOR THE REMAINDER OF THIS YEAR AND FOR THE NEXT YEAR. EXCEPT FOR CLOSE FAMILY REUNIFICATION THE US COULD NOT GO ABOVE THAT FIGURE. THEY MIGHT, HOWEVER, EXAMINE THE POSSIBILITY OF LIBERALISING THE IMMIGRATION LAWS TO ENABLE SEVERAL HUNDRED A MONTH TO COME AS DIRECT IMMIGRANTS FROM VIETNAM. THIS WOULD CONSTITUTE THE US RESPONSE TO VIETNAM'S OFFER'.

3. NO OTHER GOVERNMENTS REPRESENTED HAD TAKEN UP A PUBLIC POSITION ON THE VIETNAMESE 'OFFER" BUT FRG, AUSTRIA, FRANCE AND AUSTRALIA THOUGHT IT UNLIKELY THAT THEY WOULD BE ABLE TO INCREASE QUOTAS OR TO ACCEPT DIRECT IMMIGRATION FROM VIETNAM OUTSIDE THE LIMITED POSSIBILITIES OF FAMILY REUNIFICATION. CLARK ADDED THAT AT PRESENT 90 PER CENT OF THOSE COMING OUT OF VIETNAM HAD NO FAMILY TIES ABROAD AND THAT THE 252,000 IN THE S.E.ASIAN CAMPS COULD BE EXPECTED TO DOUBLE WITHIN A YEAR. THERE HAD BEEN 26,033 BOAT CASES IN APRIL AND THE HAY FIGURES MIGHT REACH 0,232: A PROCESSING CENTRE FOR 18,333 WAS NOT MUCH MORE THAN A SYMBOLIC

GESTURE.

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