TNAG-0887-FCO40-1097-Refugees-from-Vietnam-in-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-boat-people-1979 — Page 38

CODE

18.77

ALJENA VELV

Reference...

(844) W mi

Mr Stitt, SEAD

INDO-CHINA REFUGEES IN TAIWAN

HKK242

RECEIVED

+

Пригнашлі

10. 51

1. In conversation yesterday evening with Mr. Heidler, the UNHCR representative in London, he told me unofficially, because the UN does not recognise Taiwan and UNHCR have no dealings with the territory) that Taiwan already have 1,000 Indo-Chinese refugees and have said that they will take another 1,000. He asked me not to quote him.

partially

2.

Mr Heidler also made the point, which I have already conveyed orally to HK&GD, that if the Sibonga refugees are not at least provisionally processed in Hong Kong before departure for the UK, then it would be very difficult to arrange resettlement elsewhere (for those who want to move on to other countries) once they are physically in the UK. I reminded Mr Heidler that his office s staff in Hong Kong were unable on their own to cope with the present numbers of refugees in the colony and that, as I understood it, the processing of the Sibonga refugees by the UNHCR in Hong Kong could well take an unacceptably long time. I promised, however, to Let you and HK&GD know.

30 May 1979

P Morgan

UN Department

CC

FED

HK&GD

RESTRICTED