TNAG-0888-FCO40-1098-Refugees-from-Vietnam-in-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-boat-people-1979 — Page 62

CODF

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Mr Stitt, SEAD

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HKK 2431

RECEIVED IN PROVVIN NO. 51 - ^ JUN 1979

DESK OFFICER

INDEX

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87.6

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924

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VIETNAMESE REFUGEES

1.

Mr Snoxell (UKMis Geneva) telephoned in connexion with the Ambassador's call on Mr Hartling, the UNHCR, at 4.30 pm this afternoon. He asked whether there were any particular points we should like the Ambassador to raise with High Commissioner for Refugees. Sir James Murray would, in any case, be handing over full details of the recent figures received from Hong Kong.

2-

I told Mr Snoxell that SEAD were now in the lead on all matters with regard to the Indo-China refugee problem.

He may therefore telephone. I said, however, that there were two basic points which I thought we should like the Ambassador to make. These are:-

(a) that since the need for further resettlement places was now so great the High Commissioner should be urged to re- double his efforts to get those countries which had so far done little or nothing (by way of resettlement offers) to accept Indo-China refugees. I said we considered there was, for example, scope for some Latin American countries to contribute to a solution to the problem;

(b) that the UNHCR needed very quickly to increase the staff at the UNHCR office in Hong Kong. The numbers of refugees in Hong Kong had escalated so rapidly that the present UNHCR staff there could not cope sufficiently with the processing procedures which had to be gone through.

3.

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know

UKMis Geneva had not seen the text of Dr Waldheim's recent appeal to Heads of Government. Mr Snoxell will try to obtain a copy from the UN Office in Geneva since the text has been issued as

a UN

press relea

obtain If he cannot e

one, I shall telegraph the text to him this afternoon. In the meantime, I gave him the gist of Dr Waldheim's appeal which the Ambassador would clearly need to in advance of his call on Mr Hartling. I also gave him the gist of the draft reply to Dr Waldheim (though I cautioned that this was still subject to changes) contained in Mr Simpson-Orlebar's submission to Mr Murray of 29 May.

30 May 1979

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Mr Williamson, HKG D

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P Morgan

UN Department