布政司署
香港下亞畢道
本署檔號 OUR REF:
* YOur Ref.:
P. J. Weston, Esq.,
British Embassy,
Washington.
Ibat A.
GOVERNment SECRETARIAT
LOWER ALBERT ROAD
HONG KONG
RESTRICTED
24/8
20th August 1979
Intress
HKK 2431 N William J238
роз
1.
Vietnam Refugees
I am here, on three months' loan from Canberra to help out with refugee business, and in David Wilson's absence on leave (until 15th September) I am writing to thank you for your letter to him of 7th August.
2.
I think our own contacts with the Americans here, and with the two recent Congressional delegations (Rosenthel and Wolff), confirm your own feeling that pressure at the middle levels will not be as effective as going to the top, where the allocation decisions are made. We await Vice-President Mondale's visit in a fortnight all the more eagerly.
3.
Seen from here, however, we hope that the activities of our newly-formed "Hong Kong Community Committee for the Resettlement of Vietnamese Refugees" may have a complementary effect lower down, which could in turn lead to some feedback to those who make the actual allocation decisions. In this I think we are looking less to a generalised effect on public opinion than to mutting Hong Kong's case coolly and cogently to the voluntary agencies in North America who actually arrange to place the refugees. You will by now have seen our telegram no. 29 asking your advice on how best we should target Karl Stumpf and Dorothy Lee. Their visit is not something from which we expect instant results, but we hope it might sow the seeds of a clearer awareness of Hong Kong's position; and that this might begin to take effect towards the end of the year when, if current trends out of Vietnam and out of the ASEAN first asylum countries continue, the disparity between the treatment of Hong Kong and the ASEAN countries in resettlement terms is likely to be come evermore obvious.
L. W. Boyes
Adviser
Temporary Assistant Political
cc P.J.T.McLaren Eso.
HEGT Dert, FCO
.Empson Esa.
Ottawa
RESTRICTED
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