TNAG-0886-FCO40-1096-Refugees-from-Vietnam-in-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-boat-people-1979 — Page 89

691

Part I

800

IDENTIAL

CONFIDENTIAL

C

FM UKMIS GENEVA 261230Z MAY 79

DESKBY FCO 220000Z

TO IMMEDIATE FCO

TELNO 166 OF 26/5/70

(747

HKK 2431

RECEIVEDT

21 COPY

DESK OFFICER

INDEX

мо

INFO PRIORITY GOVERNOR HONG KONG WASHINGTON PARIS

INFO SAVING HANOI

MY TELNO 153: INDO -CHINESE REFUGEES

PA

931.5

CLARK SPENT FOUR HOURS YESTERDAY WITH THE UN HIGH COMMISSIONER

FOR REFUGEES AND FIS STAFF. AS PREVIOUSLY ARRANGED I HAD SENT HIM IN ADVANCE AN AIDE MEMOIRE BASED ON HONG KONG TELNO 637 LECO, AND

I CALLED ON HIM IMMEDIATELY AFTER HE HAD LEFT HARTLING. GI

see (15

2. CLARK WAS CLEARLY VERY CONCERNED THAT THE SITUATION IN HONG

KONG WAS BECOMING DESPERATE AND SAID THAT HE NOW FULLY ACCEPTED THE

FIGURES FOR ESTIMATED FUTURE ARRIVALS WHICH THE GOVERNOR PUT TO

FIN LAST MONTH, HE COMMENTED THAT UNHCR'S MAIN CONCERN WAS THAT THE

US WOULD UNDERTAKE TO RESETTLE ALL THOSE REGISTERED BY THE UNHCR

AS THEY DID NOT WISH TO BE SADDLED WITH PERMANENT REFUGEE CAMPS.

CLARK HAD ASSURED HARTLING THAT THOSE WHO HAD REACHED CHINA BY

BUAT AND THEN GONE ON TO HONG KONG WOULD BE ACCEPTABLE TO THE US.

PROVIDED THAT THEY HAD NOT BEEN **PERMANENTLY SETTLED IN CHINA,

HE HAD SUGGESTED TO THE UNHOR THAT THEY HOW MAKE A FINAL ASSESSMENT

OF ALL CASES IN HING KONG AND UNLESS THERE WAS POSITIVE EVIDENCE

OF PERMANENT SETTLEMENT IN CHINA THEY SHOULD BE REGISTERED BY THE

UNHCR AND COME UNDER THEIR RESPONSIBILITY. NO RIFUGEES SHOULD BE

LEFT IN LIMBO'': EITHER THEY SHOULD DE ACCEPTED BY UNHCR OR

REJECTED. ALTHOUGH THE US WOULD HAVE TO DO THEIR OWN SCREENING THEY

WOULD BE GUIDED BY THE SAME PRINCIPLES AS THE UNHCR. THIS IN ANY

CASE HAD BEEN US POLICY SINCE FEBRUARY AND HAD ALREADY BEEN TESTED

BY THE ACCEPTANCE OF THE 102 REFERRED TO IN PARAGRAPH 5 OF HONG

KONG TELMO 609, HARTLING HAD AGREED THAT THEY SHOULD PROCEED IN THIS

MANNER. IN BRIEF, CLARK HAD THE IMPRESSION THAT THE UNHCR WERE NOW FIRMLY COMMITTED TO ACCEPTING RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE

CATEGORY ALTHOUGH HE COULD NOT SAY HOW FAST ACTION WAS LIKELY TO

PROCEED. CLARK EXPRESSED THE STRONG HOPE THAT THOSE NOT ACCEPTABLE

TO UNHCR WOULD BE RESETTLED IN HONG KONG. HE WAS CONVINCED THAT THE

NUMBERS WOULD BE SMALL.

CONFIDENTIAL

$3.