TNAG-0887-FCO40-1097-Refugees-from-Vietnam-in-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-boat-people-1979 — Page 83

NOTHING TO BE WRITTEN IN THIS MARGIN

Registry

Jo.

JECURITY CLASSIFICATION

Top Secret.

Secret.

___Confidential.

CONFIDENTIAL

DRAFT

To:-

B G Cartledge Esq 10 Downing Street

Type 1 +

FROM

Mr Richardson

Telephone No. Ext.

Restricted. Unclassified.

PRIVACY MARKING

In Confidence

сс

JA Chilcot Esq

Home Office

M Vile Esq

Cabinet Office

Department

MESSAGE TO THE PRIME MINISTER FROM THE

UN SECRETARY-GENERAL

1. With your letter of 25 May to Stephen Wall

you enclosed a telegram to the Prime Minister from

the UN Secretary-General, in which Dr Waldheim

appealed for further offers of resettlement places

for Indo-China refugees and additional financial

support for the United Nations High Commissioner for

Refugees. We understand that the same message was

addressed to 51 other Heads of Government.

2. The Lord Privy Seal believes that

Mrs Thatcher's reply, in addition to explaining what

the United Kingdom has done, provides the opportunity

for a call to Dr Waldheim to convene an international

conference under his own aegis without delay. I

enclose a draft which could be telegraphed to our

Mission in New York for immediate delivery. It is

deliberately worded to enable us to tell Dr Waldheim

separately but in confidence that we expect a

conference to deal with both aspects of the problem:

pressure on Vietnam and action to resettle the

refugees now flooding into South East Asia. If the

Prime Minister agrees, Sir Ian Gilmour will instruct

our Mission in New York accordingly.

13.