TNAG-0886-FCO40-1096-Refugees-from-Vietnam-in-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-boat-people-1979 — Page 11

COAFT BERTIAL

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(v)

3.

(i)

(ii)

[

The Foreign and Commonwealth Secretary also proposes to raise the question at the quadriportite dinner at The Hague tomorrow and at the NATO

Ministerial meeting this wook.

Resettlement of Refurces

United Nations High Commissioner for Pofugees (UTHOR)

We have been in constant touch with UNHCR about the

resettlement of refugees in liong Kong. In particular we have urged the High Commissioner to strengthen his staff in Hong Kong and to accept responsibility for all Vietnamese refugees in the Colony. (At present the UNHCR only have responsibility for about a third of the 35,000 refugees in Hong Kong and these are being processed · very slowly because of shortage of staff.)

United Nations

other aspects

Dr Waldheim, the UN Secretary General, who visited Asia carlier this year, is well seized of the whole problem and has we understand, been in touch with the Prime Minister recently. We have considercd whether we should ruise this issue in c.g. the UN Security Council an a threat to peace.

But in view of the Soviet vetoes on,

revolutions earlier this year over the Vietnamese attack on Cambodia and the Chinere attack on Vietnam we all

think that Security Council action would not be productive. We shall, however, consider urgently what if any other UN action in possible and desirable.

(iii) ABAN

Ch 21,

here

The ASEAN countries, especially Thailand and Lalog: ka, have received very large numbers of vefugeen, Kalaysia Pad 71,874 rafupees awaiting axeettlement.

་

abe 160,000 refùrees in caron in Thailand, mostly from Io., and Candodia. In addition there are to be a furtiny

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