Registry No.
о
ECURITY CLASSIFICATION
Top Secret.
Secret.
Confidential.
Restricted.
Unclassified.
RIVACY MARKING
In Confidence
DRAFT
LETTER
CONFIDENTIAL
To:-
TG Harris Esq
Department of Trade
1 Victoria Street
LONDON SW1
VIETNAMESE REFUGEES
Type 1 +
DSR 11
From
Private Secretary
Telephone No. Ext.
Department
Mr
Lord Carrington has seen
copy of, Ropner'
letter
人
of 16 July to Mr Nott in which he asks for an
assurance that
that refugees picked up by British ships
should automatically be included in the British
quota. Lord Campbell made a similar suggestion in
the House of Lords on 18 July. The GCBS have also
made representations to Mr Hurd.
Cabinet on 12 July agreed that refugees picked
up by our ships should be included in the quota of 10,00
There are difficulties in administering this provision.
In the first place Hong Kong needs all the quota for
herself and another case of the magnitude of the
Sibonga would make serious inroads into the quota.
Secondly, there is the administrative problem of
arranging reception of ship cases at short notice,
assuming that the Hong Kong refugees are accepted
at the fastest possible rate. There is also the
objection that refugees picked up at sea while others
remain in camps would amount to queue jumping.
ship cases may occur after the quota has been exhausted.
Finally,
/AS
Dd 0532000 800M 5/78 HMSO Bracknell
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.