TNAG-0971-FCO40-1190-Resettlement-of-Vietnamese-refugees-from-Hong-Kong-in-the-UK-1980 — Page 112

55

00 STOCKHOLM

GRS 180

CONFIDENTIAL

FM FCO 191615Z AUG 80

TO IMMEDIATE STOCKHOLM

TELEGRAM NUMBER 107 OF 19 AUGUST

AKK 243/2

RECEIVED IN REGISTRY NO. 51

20 AUG 1980

DESK OFFICER

INDEX

По

PA

REGISTRY |Action Taken

AN

16 Ph√20/8. Ak 20

FOLLOWING TELEGRAM NOW REPEATED TO YOU AT REQUEST OF PRIVATE OFFICE

WAS RECEIVED FROM HONG KONG TELEGRAM NUMBER 1037 OF 19 AUGUST.

INFO ROUTINE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE LONDON.

VIETNAMESE REFUGEES: RESETTLEMENT TO U.K.

54

1. WE HAVE JUST BEEN TOLD BY JCRV THAT THE OFFTAKE TO U.K. FOR AUGUST, ORIGINALLY FORECAST AT 650, WILL BE REDUCED TO ABOUT 423. SO FAR THIS MONTH, 188 REFUGEES HAVE DEPARTED FOR U.K.

2. THE REASON FOR THIS REDUCTION IS THE CLOSURE OF MATLOCK RECEPTION CENTRE. THIS COMES AS A SURPRISE, SINCE YOUR TELEGRAM NUMBER 464 INDICATED THAT 330 EXTRA RECEIPTION CENTRE PLACES WERE BEING MADE AVAILABLE TO OFFSET ANY SLOWDOWN IN JULY AND

AUGUST.

3. THE OVERALL POSITION DOES NOT APPEAR OPTIMISTIC. SO FAR, 7,193 OF THE 2 U.K. QUOTAS FOR 11,000 PLACES HAVE DEEN TAKEN UP. 3,897 PLACES STILL REMAIN, AND IF THESE ARE ALL TO BE TAKEN UP BY THE END OF 1983, THE MONTHLY DEPARTURE RATE WILL HAVE TO BE ABOUT 85%. IN THE LIGHT OF RECENT DEPARTURE FIGURES (MONTHLY AVERAGE MAY TO JULY - 565), IS THERE ANY PROSPECT THAT THIS RATE CAN BE ACHIEVED?

CARRINGTON

NINN