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TELEGRAM NUMBER 375 OF 5 SEPTEMBER
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We need to be prepared to push Hic's case. Pl. Therefore go hough past papers to find out; what was said. I think ith. sand they were prep and to make a contribution. HKK 243/1
INFO HONG KONG, UKMIS GENEVA, UKIS NEW YOR, WASHINGTON, CANBERRA, OTTAWA, JAKARTA, KUALA LUMPUR, SINGAPORE AND BANGKOK,
THE PHILIPPINE REFUGEE PROCESSING CENTRE.
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1. HEAD OF CHANCERY.CALLED TODAY ON PAEFFGEN, THE NEW UNHCR REPRESENTATIVE HERE, WHO HAS JUST REPLACED A TEMPORARY STOP-GAP. HE WAS, UNDERSTANDABLY, A LITTLE TENTATIVE.
2, H OF C REFERRED TO THE PHILIPPINE OFFER OF AN RPC TO ACCOMODATE
UP TO 53,800 REFUGEES AND SAID HE HAD SEEN A LOCAL PRESS REPORT
SAYING THAT THE RPC WOULD BE ESTABLISHED IN BATAAN INSTEAD OF IN see (1665° ULUGAN IN PALAWAN AS EARLIER SUGGESTED BECAUSE THE UNHCR HAD SAID THAT THE COST OF ESTMBLISHING THE RPC IN PALAWAN (WHICH IS REMOTE FROM MANILA) WOULD BE EXCESSIVE, PAEFFGEN SAID THAT THIS REPORT WAS NOT WHOLLY ACCURATE: IT MIGHT BE MORE EXPENSIVE TO
ESTABLISH THE RPC IN PALAWAN BUT THE UNHCR THOUGHT THAT THE PALAWAN
SITE WAS A SUITABLE LOCATION THAT WOULD PROVIDE ADEQUATE FACILITIES,
THEY THEREFORE FAVOURED IT. HE SAID HE WAS DISCUSSING THE COSTINGS
WITH THE PHILIPPINE AUTHORITIES BUT THAT WAS A SEPARATE PROBLEM.
THE PHILIPPINES WERE CONFIDENT OF BEING ABLE TO ACCOMODATE
10,000 IN THE RPC BY THE MIDDLE OF OCTOBER.
3. H OF C MENTIONED OUR INTEREST THAT IN PRINCIPLE THE RPC SHOULD¦
BE MADE AVAILABLE FOR REFUGEES WHO LANDED IN HONG KONG. PAEFFGEN SAID THESE WERE EARLY DAYS YET AND ME DOUBTED IF THIS ISSUE SHOULD BE PRESSED AT THIS STAGE. H OF C SAID THAT IT WAS OUR PRESSION, ALTHOUGH WE HAD NOT BEEN OFICIALLY ADVISED OF IT, THAT THE PHILIPPINE AUTHORITIES ACCEPTED THE PRINCIPLE THAT REFUGEES
FROM HONG KONG WOULD BE ELIGIBLE. PAEFFGEN SAID THAT THE ONLY REFUGEES FROM OUTSIDE THE PHILIPPINES WHO WOULD BE SENT TO THE RPC WOULD BE THOSE WHO HAD ALREADY BEEN PROCESSED AND WERE SIMPLY
WAITING UNTIL THE RECIPIENT COUNTRY COULD TAKE THEM IN. HE SAID THAT THE RECIPIENT COUNTRIES WOULD HAVE MORE SAY IN WHICH REFUGEES
SHOULD GO TO THE PHILIPPINE RPC THAN THE PHILIPPINES ITSELF (WHICH HAD SIMPLY UNDERTAKEN TO CONSTRUCT A TRANSIT CAMP)
CAID THAT THE MAJORITY OF THE REFUGEES WHO CAME TO THE APC
WOULD BE DESTINED FOR THE USA. HE SAID THAT PERHAPS THE UK COULD
OFFER TO CONTRIBUTE TOWARDS THE PHILIPPINE RPC AND USE THIS AS A
K
HE
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