CONFIDENTIAL
This was likely to affect off-take from Hong Kong in the coming months. (In each of October and November 2,000 people had been accepted from Hong Kong.) He had explained the need to
Sir Murray MacLehose, which had been based partly on the consideration that Kriang sak's willingness to accept hundreds of thousands from Cambodia into Thailand meant that meaningful gestures were required to lighten his burden. But, in Mr Holbrooke's view, some relief for Hong Kong could come from getting access to the Processing Centre in the Philippines, for whose construction a contract had been signed in the previous week. The American Ambassador in Manila had said that the first refugees could be accepted by the Centre by the end of the year. Perhaps British representatives could push for this in Manila and at Geneva.
18. Mr Blaker said that Hong Kong would be bitterly disappointed at the news of the United States' decision. He enquired whether Cambodian refugees would want to resettle outside their country. Mr Holbrooke replied in the negative, adding that the additional off-take would come from Vietnamese boat people, Laotians and hill-tribes people. Mr Blaker asked for United States support for the use of Frocessing Centres for refugees from Hong Kong. Mir Holbrooke replied that this support had already been given. He concluded by saying that since July, 90 per cent of refugees from Vietnam had been ethnic Vietnamese; but that while coercion had been used to get people out, 90 per cent of the boat people had been of Chinese race.
SOUTH-EAST ASIAN DEPARTMENT
22 November 1979
DISTRIBUTION:
PS
PS/LPS
PS/Mr Hurd
PS/Mr Blaker
PS/PUS
Sir A Duff
Mr Cortazzi
Mr Murray
Mr Simons
SEAD (to File)
FED
UND
PUSD
HKGD
Planning Staff
Research Department
HM Representatives at: Washington
Paris
Bonn
Bangkok
Jakarta
Kuala Lumpur
Singapore
Manila Rangoon
Hanoi
Vientiane Tokyo Peking
Moscow
Canberra
Wellington Brunei
6 - CONFIDENTIAL
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.