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HKK 243/4
CONFIDENTIAL
RAUKAVED IN REGISTRY NO. 5CONFIDI
02 JUN 1980
Mr Willman J28.5
Fascinating!
(4-2)
DESK OFFICER
REGISTRY
INDEX
PA
Action Taken
Aw246
225.
28/5.
PORT HAWKESBURY REFUGEES
RECORD OF MEETING BETWEEN MR NICHOLAS RIDLEY MP, AND BERMUDIAN PREMIER AND OTHERS, AT 9.15 PM ON SUNDAY 18 MAY, IN GOVERNMENT HOUSE, HAMILTON
Present:
Mr Nicholas Ridley MP
Mr K D Temple
Sir Peter Ramsbotham
The Hon J D Gibbons, Premier
The Hon C V Woolridge, Deputy Premier and Minister of Tourism
The Hon E W P Vesey, Minister of Education
The Hon J W D Swan, Minister of Home Affairs
The Hon Sir J Plowman, Minister of Marine and Air Services
1 Sir J Plowman, who had just returned from Britain, said that he had seen the "Committee" ( JCRV: Joint Committee for Refugees from Vietnam) in the Home Office, responsible for refuge resettlement, and his interlocutor had expressed doubts about Bermuda's ability to absorb the eight Port Hawkesbury refugees. Moreover, he had been in touch with the London office of the UNHCR who had expressed surprise that the eight might come to Bermuda, saying it would be virtually impossible for them to be assimilated. He said the UNHCR thought that the US had set up a quota of 1,000 for refugees picked up by boats from third party countries, and suggested that Bermuda should seek to have the eight adopted within that US quota.
2 Mr Ridley said that the precise number of Port Hawkesbury refugees, whether five or eight, did not matter. The main point was that the UK had given pledges to Singapore that the refugees would be resettled, so that the Port Hawkesbury could be released. Should we not have given these assurances on behalf of Bermuda? The Shipping Register implied responsibility by Bermuda to accept the refugees unless they were taken elsewhere. Sir John Plowman repeated that it was not reasonable to
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CONFIDENTIAL
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