REFUGEE PROCESSING CENTRE.
1. MY TELNO 432 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
ANXICUS TO KNOW EXACTLY WHAT WAS SAID. NOW THAT PRS HARCOS 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 AUTHORITY AND GAVE NO SUGGESTION THAT HE WAS SIMPLY AIRING
HIS PERSONAL VIEWS.
THE
5. ANY FURTHER LOBBYING AT THIS END SHOULD BE AT A HIGH LEVEL PRESIDENT, MRS MARCOS OR FOREIGN MINISTER ROMULO WHEN HE RETURNS FROM THE UNGA. HOWEVER IT IS PRETTY CLEAR THAT THE UNHCR AND THE USA, THE BIGGEST DONOR TO THE RPC AND THE MAJOR RECIPIENT OF REFUGEES, SHOULD BE ABLE TO CALL THE SHOTS. IT WOULD GREATLY HELP IF WE COULD COUNT ON THEIR FIR SUPPORT AND 1 SUGGEST THAT ACTION
COULD BEST BE TAKEN IN GENEVA,
6. AT THE MEETING ON 5 OCTOBER MRS MARCOS MADE NO "ENTION OF ASEAN AND THE BACKGROUND PAPER ON THE RPC WHICH WAS HANDED TO
US SIMILARLY MAKES NO MENTION OF ASEAN AND REFERS ONLY TO
INDOCHINESE REFUGEES' AND ''PRE-SELECTED REFUGEES FROM COUNTRIES
OF FIRST ASYLUM''. THE DOOR IS THEREFORE OPEN.
GEORGE
MINN
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