PARLIAMENTARY QUESTION
18 June 1979
for ORAL answer on.................................................................................
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La Mr Peter Shore (Tower Hamlets, Stepney and Poplar): To
ask the Lord Privy Seal, whether following his
discussions with the Government of Hong Kong and the recent statements made by the Malaysian Government he will make a further statement of Government policy on the plight of refugees from Vietnam.
The House is aware that my right honourable Friend The
Prime Minister, proposed to the United Nations Secretary-General
on 31 May that a special conference should be convened urgently
under his auspices to deal with the problem of the Indo-Chinese
refugees. The need to convene the conference soon has greatly
increased since the proposal was made. [My right honourable Friend
has addressed a further message to Dr Waldheim, in the light
of the most recent events.]
We have urged interested governments to support our proposal,
to consider themselves making additional offers of help, and to bring their influence to bear on the Government of Vietnam to desist
from the policies which are causing so much hardship for the refugees
and for Hong Kong and the South-East Asian countries where they land. My honourable Friend the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth
Affairs is now in Geneva for talks with the UNHCR, on whom
responsibility devolves for protecting and assisting refugees.
This morning my honourable and noble Friend has discussed the
convening of the conference with the French Foreign Minister in Paris,
who indicated to him that the French Government like others of the Nine 62 support our proposal.
1614 3M 6/75 Cr.P.C. Gp839/3
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