TNAG-0890-FCO40-1100-Refugees-from-Vietnam-in-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-boat-people-1979 — Page 164

CALL BY SIR LESLIE KIRKLEY: 13 JUNE 1979

ESSENTIAL FACTS

Aid to Thailand

1. The Government has made available to British voluntary organisations grants totalling over £70,000 for work in refugee camps in Thailand

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in 1978/79. The largest contribution was of £37,000 to the Save the

Children Fund. There is no official UK aid to the Thai Government

to assist them in handling the refugee problem, but Thailand benefits indirectly from our contributions the the General Programme of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. We have already pledged £3.5m to his 1979 programme.

2.

The Minister has so far been unable to arrange a meeting with the Thai Ambassador to urge the Thai Government to refrain from

repatriating Cambodians.

UNHCR Financing

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3. The original estimate for the 1979 General Programme budget which provides for normal protection and assistance in longer term refugee situations was US$77m, to which the UK pledged £3.5m, or about 8.5%. Because of additional commitments (in Indo-China and Southern Africa), the General Programme budget was revised again in January to US$115m. The Government are now considering whether a supplementary contribution to the UNHCR budget should be made, to maintain our

share at the level intended in 1978.

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Aid to UK Voluntary Organisations

4.

Continuation funds for the projects financed in 1978/9 should be available in spite of the public spending cuts, but further

commitments are unlikely to be possible.

South East Asian Department

12 June 1979