TNAG-0891-FCO40-1101-Refugees-from-Vietnam-in-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-boat-people-1979 — Page 179

CONFIDENTIAL

1146

CORD OF A MEETING IN MR WARREN CHRISTOPHER'S ROOM, DEPARTMENT

OF STATE, MONDAY, 18 JUNE, 1979

Present

Governor of Hong Kong

Sir Murray MacLehoso

Mr J A Robinson

Mr D Ford

HURRYALL

Mr Warren Christopher

Mr Richard Holbrooke

-Ambassador Clark Mr Robert Oakley

RECEIVED IN RE Y NO.

2 1 JUN 1979

Mr D C Wilson

INJE

РА

по

Job

F.

MFriedman

TOTE

ction Taken

26

6

VIETNAM REFUGEES

The general situation

1.

At Mr Christopher's request the Governor explained the general situation. There were now over fifty thousand Vietnam refugees in Hong Kong. The regional problem had to be seen as one of two different streams of people. One stream was the land-crossers such as those going to Thailand or those coming illegally from China to Hong Kong. The other stream was the boat people. In Hong Kong for instance the number of people coming by land from China affected the degree of tolerance towards Vietnam refugees. Some 100,000 had arrived from China last year. The figure for this year could be as high as 270,000. Hong Kong was not asking for help in dealing with the China problem which was a bilateral issue which could in time be dealt with satisfactorily. But the anxiety which the influx of Chinese generated added greatly to the problem of thwarting the Vietnamese. There was however a need to make sure that people in Hong Kong knew that the Vietnam refugee problem was temporary. Those coming from Vietnam were quite distinct from the immigrants from China. Most were third or fourth generation ethnic Chinese in Vietnam. They did not think of themselves as Chinese from China, nor did they have a connection with Hong Kong. Hong Kong already had plans for arranging accommodation for 50,000 by the end of this month and 150,000 by the end of the year. Conditions were rough but hygenic. The refugees were put in places where, whenever possible, they could work.

2.

Mr Christopher asked if China had taken responsibility for the refugees. They were after all people of Chinese origin for whom China might be expected to have a special responsibility. The Governor explained that the Chinese took the line that, with 230,000 refugees already arrived from Vietnam and new arrivals at a rate of about 10,000 per month, they had already done their share. Many came in boats along the coast from Vietnam to Hong Kong, but, following representations made last year, the Chinese had taken steps to stop the arrival in Hong Kong of those who had crossed by land into China.

3.

Mr Christopher said that Hong Kong deserved great credit for the way it had treated refugees. If all behaved in the same way there would be no problem. There must however be a time when there was simply no more space. The Governor confirmed that space was a major problem. Many people in Hong Kong, including parts of the press and members of the Legislative Council, were pressing him to take more drastic action. If they saw others get preferential treatment because they were being less humane then this form of pressure would increase. It was impossible to say at what point toleration would snap. This was partly a matter of how well the economy was doing, but in particular whether they saw less humane

CONFIDENTIAL

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