TNAG-0888-FCO40-1098-Refugees-from-Vietnam-in-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-boat-people-1979 — Page 49

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CONFIDENTIAL

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disaster of vast proportions and I find it hard to believe that British people would not respond effectively if a major appeal were made.

CONCLUSIONS

11. a. The British record in receiving Vietnamese refugees

12.

13.

reduces the effectiveness of our campaign to get international support for resettlement.

b. The current British attitude about refugees picked up by British shipping faces masters and shipowners with an intolerable dilemma.

C.

The failure to do more to help Hong Kong, eg by even a token increase in the quota, is placing a serious strain on our relations with Hong Kong and could in the end lead to Hong Kong being forced to reject boat refugees.

The right and minimum course of action would, in my view, be to:

Reaffirm the pledge to take refugees picked up by British ships pending possible resettlement elsewhere;

i.

ii. Establish a token quota for refugees from Hong Kong of say 100 a month (Hong Kong has been receiving well over 1,000 a day).

T

I recognise that in view of the current attitudes at No 10 and in the Home Office it will be extremely difficult to get agreement to these courses, but this is a moral as well as a political question and I must record my view.

3 June 1979

How Cortays

HAH Cortazzi

CONFIDENTIAL