GR $230
CONFIDENTIAL
FM FCO 011150Z JUNE 79
UNFIDENTIAL
899
HKK 243|i PA
RECEIVED MY 320
TO IMMEDIATE CANBERRA
TELEGRAM NUMBER 194 OF 1 JUNE
AND TO WELLINGTON
SESK 0. HNDEX
PA
INFO PRIORITY BANGKOK, SINGAPORE, JAKARTA, MANITONG KONG (FOR GOVERNOR), WASHINGTON, UKMIS NEW YORK, UKMIS GENEVA AND HANOI INFO SAVING PEKING, MOSCOW, PARIS, BONN, UKREP BRUSSELS.
VIETNAMESE REFUGEES: AUSTRALIA, NEW ZEALAND.
1. CORTAZZI ASKED COOK, AUSTRALIAN DEPUTY HIGH COMMISSIONER, TO
RELAY THE FOLLOWING REQUESTS:-
(A) COULD THE AUSTRALIANS MAKE REPRESENTATIONS TO THE VIETNAMESE, IN HANOI OR/AND CANBERRA, TO URGE THEM TO IMPROVE THEIR HUMAN
RIGHTS PERFORMANCE AND TO END THE PRESSURES THAT HAVE BROUGHT
ABOUT THE PRESENT EXODUS.
(B) COULD THE AUSTRALIANS FOLLOW UP OUR APPROACHES TO THE RUSSIANS (FCO TELNO 275 TO MOSCOW AND MOSCOW TELNO 315 TO FCO REFER).
(C) COULD THEY HELP OVER INTERNATIONALISING THE QUESTION OF
RESETTLEMENT.
(D) WE RECOGNISED THAT AUSTRALIA HAD ALREADY TAKEN 20,000 REFUGEES
AND WAS ALREADY UNDER PRESSURE TO TAKE REFUGEES WHO ARRIVED
DIRECTLY IN AUSTRALIAN WATERS. THE SITUATION IN HONG KONG WAS HOWEVER BECOMING DESPERATE. COULD THEY TAKE SOME REFUGEES FROM HONG KONG? COOK EXPLAINED THAT AUSTRALIA HAS A PROGRAMME TO
TAKE 12,000 REFUGEES OVER THE NEXT 12 MONTHS, AND CORTAZZI ASKED IF CONSIDERATION, COULD BE GIVEN TO INCLUDING IN THIS FIGURE A GENEROUS PROPORTION FROM HONG KONG, WHO WERE NOW RECEIVING REFUGEES AT THE RATE OF 1,000 A DAY, IN ADDITION TO LEGAL AND ILLEGAL
IMMIGRANTS FROM CHINA.
:
CONFIDENTIAL
12.
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