TNAG-0888-FCO40-1098-Refugees-from-Vietnam-in-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-boat-people-1979 — Page 60

GR 380

RESTRICTED

TELELETTER

HKK 243/1

RECEIVED WARR

-

- 7 JUN 1977

925

FROM R M MARSDEN, TOKYO

NFR 1 JUNE, 1979

INC

ло

отыр

FOLLOWING FOR P MORGAN ESQ., UNITED NATIONS DEPT, FCO

JAPAN AND VIETNAMESE REFUGEES

THE US AMBASSADOR CALLED ON MR SONODA ON 30 MAY ON INSTRUCTIONS TO ASK THE JAPANESE TO CONSIDER USING THE THREAT TO SUSPEND JAPANESE AID TO VIETNAM TO APPLY PRESSURE TO THE VIETNAMESE OVER THE REFUGEE PROBLEM (FCO TEL TO HONG KONG NO 322 OF 24 MAY). ALTHOUGH THE JAPANESE HAVE ALREADY ASKED THE VIETNAMESE SEVERAL TIMES TO RESTRAIN THE OUTFLOW OF REFUGEES, THE US EMBASSY SAID THAT THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME THAT THE REFUGEE QUESTION HAD BEEN LINKED TO AID. MR SONODA HAD GIVEN NO SPECIFIC UNDERTAKING BUT HAD BEEN ''SYMPATHETIC'' TO MR MANSFIELD'S REQUEST. THE AMERICAN EMBASSY EMPHASISED THAT THEY DID NOT WISH TO PUBLICISE THE FACT THAT THEY WERE PUTTING THIS PRESSURE ON THE JAPANESE.

2. WE HAVE INFORMALLY EXPLORED WITH THE AMERICAN EMBASSY AND THE MFA THE POSSIBILITY OF PERSUADING THE JAPANESE TO ESTABLISH A SPECIAL PROCESSING CENTRE (SPC) IN JAPAN (IAN ORR'S LETTER TO CHANCERY TOKYO OF 11 MAY). TENTATIVE FEELERS WERE PUT OUT BY THE AMERICANS SEVERAL MONTHS AGO TO SEE WHETHER THE JAPANESE WOULD BE PREPARED TO EXPAND THEIR REFUGEE CAMP IN OKINAWA, WHICH IS THE LARGEST ONE IN JAPAN (HOLDING SEVERAL HUNDRED REFUGEES) AND THE ONLY ONE TO RECEIVE A DIRECT GOVERNMENT SUBSIDY, THE OTHERS BEING FUNDED ENTIRELY BY CHARITABLE ORGANISATIONS. THE JAPANESE RESPONSE WAS NON-COMMITTAL. IN THE EVENT THE INDONESIAN AND FILIPINO OFFER OF SITES RELIEVED THE PRESSURE ON THE JAPANESE AND THE OKINAWA PROPOSAL WAS NEVER SERIOUSLY DISCUSSED. THE AMERICANS CONSIDER THAT IN VIEW OF JAPAN'S LACK OF EXPERIENCE IN HANDLING LARGE NUMBERS OF OTHER ETHNIC GROUPS IT WOULD REQUIRE CONSIDERABLE PRESSURE BEFORE THEY COULD EVEN BE PERSUADED TO CONSIDER REALISTICALLY THE IDEA OF AN SPC IN JAPAN.

OF THE PROBLEM IN HONG KONG CONFIRMED THIS IMPRESSION.

THE WE HAVE

OUR DISCUSSIONS WITH THE MEA NEFLOKE OFFICE THE OBAVITY

GIVEN THEM THE LATEST FIGURES ON REFUGEE NUMBERS.) THE MFA SAID THAT THEY HAD ASKED UNHCR TO SCREEN REFUGEES IN FIRST ASYLUM COUNTRIES FOR THOSE ELIGIBLE TO SETTLE IN JAPAN

BUT SO FAR ONLY ABOUT 32 CANDIDATES HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED INCLUDING 4 FROM HONG KONG, 16 FROM MALAYSIA AND 3 FROM THE PHILIPPINES. OUR IMPRESSION IS THAT THE JAPANESE ARE KEEN TO FILL THE 500 QUOTA FOR RESETTLEMENT HERE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE AND MIGHT EVEN BE PERSUADED TO ENLARGE THE QUOTA SLIGHTLY AND TO RELAX THE CONDITIONS FOR RESETTLEMENT, BUT THAT THERE IS LITTLE CHANCE IN PRESENT CIRCUMSTANCES THAT THEY WOULD AGREE TO CONSIDER ESTABLISHING AN SPC IN JAPAN,

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