TNAG-0897-FCO40-1107-Refugees-from-Vietnam-in-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-boat-people-1979 — Page 122

GR 355

RESTRICTED

FM HONG KONG 180722Z SEP 79

TO PRIORITY WASHINGTON

TELNO.34 OF 18 SEPTEMBER,

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HKK 2H

REZIVA

1695

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29.9

INFO F.C.O, OTTAWA, HONG KONG GOVT OFFICE LONDON.

YOUR TELNO.27: VIETNAMESE REFUGEES : VISIT BY STUMPF AND LEE.

GRATEFUL IF YOU COULD PASS FOLLOWING TO STUMPF. BEGINS:

MANY THANKS FOR THIS REPORT AND FOR YOUR EFFORTS. IF YOU ARE HOLDING ANY ROUND-UP PRESS CONFERENCE BEFORE LEAVING FOR CANADA,

I SUGGEST YOU MIGHT WISH TO DRAW ON THE FOLLOWING POINTS.

1.

20/1696

(704

THE U.S MONTHLY FIGURE OF 2,000 REFUGEES EX-HONG KONG IS WELCOME SEMI-COLON BUT IN CONTRAST TO THE OFFTAKE FROM ASEAN COUNTRIES (8,500 DEPARTURES FROM MALAYSIA IN AUGUST, OF WHICH 5,000 TO THE USA ALONE) AND GIVEN THAT HONG KONG IS GETTING HALF OF THE CONTINUING BOAT ARRIVALS IN THE REGION (3,250 OUT OF AN AUGUST TOTAL OF 6,750), HONG KONG IS STILL HAVING TO RUN JUST TO STAND STILL. IN THIS REGARD, THE RECOMMENDATION BY THE ROSENTHAL DELEGATION, THAT HONG KONG'S HUMANE POLICIES SHOULD BE RECOGNISED BY PRIORITY TREATMENT, IS MOST WELCOME.

2. YOU HAVE HEARD MUCH CRITICISM OF SLOWNESS OF MACHINERY FOR PROCESSING IMMIGRANTS. WHILE WE WOULD NOT WANT TO GET INTO A

SLANGING MATCH OVER WHO IS TO 'BLAME' FOR ANY GAP BETWEEN SPONSORSHIP AND REFUGEE MOVEMENT, IT IS CERTAINLY NOT ANY PART

OF THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT MACHINE WHICH IS AT FAULT. IT IS

PERHAPS TO BE EXPECTED THAT SOME BOTTLENECKS WILL OCCUR WHEN THE

FLOW THROUGH THE RESETTLEMENT SYSTEM IS INCREASED AS SIGNIFICANTLY,

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