TNAG-0893-FCO40-1103-Refugees-from-Vietnam-in-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-boat-people-1979 — Page 129

FCO40 Hong Kong Department Records 聯邦事務部香港部檔案 All

GPS300

CONFIDENTIAL

CONFIDENTIAL

FM UKMIS GENEVA 061215Z JULY 79

ESKBY FCO 061688Z

TO IMMEDIATE FCO

1298

TELNO 2680F 36/7/79

INFO IMMEDIATE WASHINGTON PRIORITY JAKARTA KUALA LUMPUR BANGKOK

MANILA HONG KONG

VIETNAMESE REFUGEES: SPECIAL PROCESSING CENTRES

HKK 243/1

1. THE AMERICANS HAVE BEEN GIVING THOUGHT TO MORE AMBITIOUS

PLANS FOR SPECIAL PROCESSING CENTRES.

2. ACCORDING THE THIER MISSION HERE, VANCE TALKED TO THE

FOREIGN MINISTERS OF INDONESIA AND THE PHILLIPINES AND TO THE

PRIME MINISTERS OF THAILAND AND MALAYSIA ASKING THEM TO MAKE

ISLANDS AVAILABLE WITH A TOTAL CAPACITY OF 100,000. THEY HAD ALL

AGREED IN PRINCIPLE. PRESIDENT CARTER HAD TALKED TO THE

JAPANESE AND THE KOREANS WHO HAD AGREED TO PROVIDE THE FUNDS. THE

US AUTHORITIES BELIEVED THAT GALANG HAD THE SPACE AND WATER TO

HOLD 33,830 REFUGEES AND THAT TARA COULD TAKE 12,000. IT WAS SIMPLY A QUESTION OF PERSUADING THE INDONESIANS TO AGREE TO THE

EXPANSION AND THE OTHER ASEAN COUNTRIES TO MOVE QUICKLY.

3. THE US MISSION HAVE PUT THESE IDEAS TO HARTLING AND HAVE ASKED FOR A VERY EARLY DECISION AS TO WHETHER UNHCR COULD IN PRINCIPLE SET UP AND RUN SUCH CAMPS. AGAIN ACCORDING TO THEIR MISSION HERE, IF HARTLING REPLIES THAT HIS ORGANISATION CANNOT, THE UNITED STATES IS WILLING TO WORK OUT FUNDING ARRANGEMENTS WITH THE JAPANESE, THE GERMANS AND OTHERS, TO BUILD THE CAMPS, TO STAFF THEM AND THEN TO HAND THEM OVER TO THE UNHCR. THEY COULD START

BUILDING IMMEDIATELY ISLANDS HAD BEEN ALLOCATED.

4. IT WOULD BE

MORE DETAILS

MURRAY.

FILES

SEAD

HK & GD

HELPFUL IF HM EMBASSY IN WASHINGTON COULD OBTAIN

NEWS D

M & VD

UND

FED

EESD

N AM D

SAD

EID

PUSD OID

IPD

PS

PS/LPS PS/MR HURD PS/MR BLAKER PS/PUS

SIR A DUFF

SIR A PARSONS

MR CORTAZZI

MR MURRAY

MR STRATTON

ADDITIONAL DISTN

BOAT PEOPLE

CONFIDENTIAL

#

Comments

Approved members can add comments, bookmarks, and private notes.

No comments yet.

Private Research Note

Private notes are available after approval.