TNAG-0972-FCO40-1191-Vietnamese-refugees-in-Hong-Kong-1980 — Page 46

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ATHENREIVED IN REGEPY NO. 51

- 7 JUL 80

DESK D

INDEX

мо

ॐ

243/1

Hong Kong & General Department FCO

Dear Department,

1 July 1980

B.U. Zurcels to Mitress

to see if the have commented.

No reply BU agai

перву

VIETNAMESE BOAT REFUGEES IN HONG KONG

1.

NOTED

4.

28/7 11/2

ANeil

find

see (12B)

During an introductory call on the Charge here, the new UNHCR representative, Leslie Goodyear, raised the issue of the unfilled places in the quota of 150 refugees the Greeks undertook to accept from Hong Kong. Goodyear said that 42 refugees from Hong Kong had now arrived and been resettled in Greece despite considerable early difficulties (problems had arisen because practically none had the agricultural background specified by the Greeks and most had claimed on arrival that extravagant promises eg. of university courses had been made in Hong Kong as to their future life in Greece). Because of these problems, the Greeks would not accept any more refugees without agricultural backgrounds and the new UNHCR representative in Hong Kong (Terlin, until recently the representative in Athens) was advising firmly that no suitable candidates could be found in Hong Kong.

2. Goodyear said that the UNHCR would now like to fill the remaining 108 places offered by Greece with refugees from Macao, where candidates with agricultural backgrounds were available immediately. From the UNHCR point of view, an additional reason for taking refugees from Macao was that this was the only place of first refuge where numbers were now increasing as a result of continued arrivals. Goodyear said that he had discussed this with the MFA, whose position was that they had offered to take the additional 150 Vietnamese boat refugees from Hong Kong partly as a goodwill gesture to the United Kingdom: they would be prepared to accept refugees from Macao to fill the remaining part of the quota but only if the British Government had no objection. Goodyear accepted that this would have to be taken up directly with the FCO in London. but wanted the Embassy to know the position before proposing that the UNHCR Office in London do so. Patrick Fairweather, the Charge, took note but made no comment.

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