TNAG-0971-FCO40-1190-Resettlement-of-Vietnamese-refugees-from-Hong-Kong-in-the-UK-1980 — Page 233

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GRS 275

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FM HONG KONG 110247Z FEB 80

TO PRIORITY F C O

TELE AM NUMBER 228 OF 11 FEBRUARY

NKK 243/2

RACHVEO O

YWD. 51

13 FEB 1980

INFO PRIORITY HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE LONDON REGISTRY

INDEX

No

PA

J13.2

Action Taken

Sex (A)

Aw 1412

VIETNAMESE REFUGEES: (RESETTLEMENT TO UK 1. FURTHER TO MY TELNO 180) OF 31 JANUARY, WE HAVE HEARD FROM ALAN MARSHALL OF JCRV THAT (A) THE INTAKE INTO UK FOR FEBRUARY IS UNLIKELY TO EXCEED 600 REFUGEES: (B) INTAKES ARE NOW DICTATED BY MOVEMENT OUT INTO HOUSING: AND (C) IT HAS NOT SO FAR BEEN POSSIBLE TO ACCELERATE THIS TO ANYTHING LIKE 1,000 PER MONTH. 2. THIS IS EXTREMELY DISAP POINTING. IT MEANS THAT EVEN IF THE INTAKE IN MARCH COULD REACH 1,000, THE TOTAL FOR FIRST QUARTER OF 1980 WOULD ONLY BE ABOUT 2,000, WHICH WOULD BE 600 SHORT OF THE AGREED QUOTA OF 2,600 (PARA 3 OF YOUR TELNO 69 OF 24 JANUARY) AND 506 LESS THAN IN THE LAST QUARTER OF 1979.

3. I HAVE EMPHASISED PREVIOUSLY THE IMPORTANCE TO US OF A QUICKER

RATE OF RESETTLEMENT TO UK AND PUBLIC OPINION IS BECOMING INCREASINGLY CONCERNED WITH THE SLOW RATE OF REFUGEE DEPARTURES. 4. FOR OUR PART WE SHALL OF COURSE BE DOING ALL WE CAN TO ENSURE THAT DEPARTURE ARRANGEMENTS ARE MADE AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE AFTER REFUGEES ARE CALLED FORWARD FROM YOUR END. OF PARTICULAR CONCERN HOWEVER IS THE FACT THAT OF THE JANUARY SELECTION OF 3,831 REFUGEES, ONLY 433 REFUGEES HAVE SO FAR BEEN CALLED FORTH FOR DEPARTURE IN FEBRUARY, AND NONE YET IN MARCH. THIS SHORTFALL IN MEETING THE AGREED RATE OF RESETTLEMENT TENDS TO DETRACT FROM OUR

ARGUMENTS TO PERSUADE THE US AND OTHER COUNTRIES TO MAINTAIN THEIR EFFORTS.

5. I SHOULD BE GRATEFUL IF YOU WOULD MAKE THESE POINTS FOR US TO THE HOME OFFICE AND EMPHASISE THE NEED TO SPEED UP ACTUAL RESETTLEMENT IN UK TO ENSURE THAT YOUR STATED TARGETS ARE ACHIEVED.

MACLEHOSE

MR MURRAY

FILES

HAG D SEAD UND OID

MR CORTAZZI

NEWS D

COPIES TO!

HONG KONG GOV: OFFICE, LONDON, MR WOODFIELD) HOME OFFICE MR GODDARD QUEEN ANNES

CONFIDENTIAL

GATE,