CONFIDENTIAL
UN SECRETARY GENERAL'S MEETING ON REFUGEES AND DISPLACED PERSONS IN SOUTH EAST ASIA: GENEVA 20-21 JULY 1979
BRIEF NO 2: PLACES AND FINANCE
ESSENTIAL
FACTS
Places: UK Contribution to date
•
1. At 30 June (the comparative date for UNHCR figures) UK had received, on our own figures, 2,751 Indo-Chinese refugees in
addition to the 343 allowed to remain in the UK in 1975. This
figure is slightly below that reported in Annex II of the UNHCR
paper of 2,841 the discrepancy is probably due to different statistical treatment of refugees on the Sibonga and Roachbank
who had yet to arrive in the UK. Table attached.
2. At the same date, a further 630 refugees with places within the 1,500 quota had not yet arrived, together with about 150
persons rescued by various boats for whom we had accepted ultimate
responsibility.
3. Annex II shows this figure as in the same general area as
West Germany (3,735), but well behind USA (91,852), France (50,637), Australia (22,759) and Canada (15,076), (all figures on strict UNHCR criteria).
Hong Kong
4. Annex II omits a figure for Hong Kong, which we consider should
be 5,225, including direct resettlement from Ho Chi Minh City through
our unofficial office (4,972). About 9,000 Indo-Chinese who were in
Hong Kong in 1975 or who have subsequently entered illegally have
been allowed to stay.
Further UK commitment
5.
Our new commitment of 10,000 places is in response to an
indicative figure proposed by UNHCR of 10,000 by mid 1980. Any indication that our phasing will be over three years will undermine
our general stance, and the solidarity of our criticism of Vietnam.
Finance
of the UNHCR paper
6. Annex III is unsatisfactory in that the expenses of the South
East Asian programme has from mid-1979 been included in the General
Programme. Our 1979 pledged contribution to this programme stood at
US$ 7.2 million,
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