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FM MANILA 089630Z CCT 79
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
TELEGRAM NUMBER 411 OF 8 OCTOBER
PA
See Flar
INFO PRIORITY KUALA LUMPUR, JAKARTA, SINGAPORE, HONG KONG AND UKMIS GENEVA.
REFUGEE PROCESSING CENTRE.
I. MY TELNO 409 IN REPLY TO YOUR TELNO 217 REFERS.
2. HEAD OF CHANCERY PUT CASE FOR ACCESS TO THE RPC FOR REFUGEES
FROM HONG KONG WHEN HE CALLED ON THE DEPUTY DIRECTOR GENERAL
OF THE MFA ON 5 OCTOBER. THE MFA TOOK NOTE OF THE CASE BUT OFFERED
NO COMMENT, THEY SEEMED TO BE PRETTY MUCH IN THE DARK AND WHEN
H OF C SAID THAT MRS MARCOS DID NOT DEMUR WHEN THE MINISTER
OF STATE HAD TOLD MRS MARCOS OF OUR ''STRONG HOPE'. THE MFA WERE
ANXIOUS TO KNOW EXACTLY WHAT WAS SAID, NOW THAT MRS MARCOS AND HER MINISTRY OF HUMAN SETTLEMENTS HAVE ASSUMED THE RESPONSIBILITY
FOR ESTABLISHING THE RPC I DOUBT IF THE MFA WILL BE MORE MARGINALLY
CONSULTED IN THE FUTURE,
3. H OF C HAS ALSO SPOKEN AGAIN TO THE UNHCR REPRESENTATIVE WHO SAID HE WAS STILL NOT AWARE OF ANY OFFICIAL UNHCR POSITION ON THE ISSUE BUT HE SAID THAT SINCE ONLY THOSE WHO HAD ALREADY BEEN PROCESSED AND ACCEPTED BY A RECIPIENT COUNTRY WOULD BE ELIGIBLE TO GO TO THE RPC THE RECIPIENT COUNTRY AND THE UNHCR WOULD HAVE A MAJOR SAY AS TO WHICH REFUGEES SHOULD GO.
4. WHEN I CALLED ON THE U.S. AMBASSADOR ON RHODESIAN BUSINESS 1 MENTIONED OUR INTEREST IN SECURING ACCESS TO THE RPC FOR HONG KONG REFUGEES. HE SAID THAT HE REGARDED THIS AS A MATTER OF COURSE: INDOCHINESE REFUGEES WERE INDOCHINESE REFUGEES WHICHEVER
THEIR COUNTRY OF FIRST ASYLUM: THE RPC WOULD BE INTERNATIONALLY FUNDED AND UNDER UNHCR AUSPICES. HE SEEMED TO BE SPEAKING WITH WUTHORITY AND GAVE NO SUGGESTION THAT HE WAS SIMPLY AIRING
HIS PERSONAL VIEWS.
CONFIDENTIAL
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