TNAG-0972-FCO40-1191-Vietnamese-refugees-in-Hong-Kong-1980 — Page 99

HKCK 243/4

RECEIVED IN REGISTRY NO. 51

2 1 MAY 1980

DESK OFFICER

RESIST

INDEX

PA

Action

1006

AW Zits

DETRIBUTION

ADVANCE Curt

HOFO 030/19

PP F C O

PP HONGAID

PP UKMIS GENEVA

GPS 212

CONFIDENTIAL

FM HONG KONG 198951Z MAY 80

TO PRIORITY FCO

TELEGRAM NUMBER 652 OF 19 MAY

HR CLIFT

MB

HKGD

37

COPIED TO MR MURRAU

1

thinned

201

1915

AW

2

PA

See (38)

INFO PRIORITY UKMIS GENEVA HONG KONG GOVT OFFICE LONDON

[NOI PASSED BY C.O.r)

34

FOR CLIFT FROM BARNES PLEASE PASS THE FOLLOWING TO IAIN ORR: VIETNAMESE REFUGEES. FURTHER TO PARAS 3 AND 4 OF MYTELNO 615\7 MAY AND PARTLY BECAUSE

OF THE CUBAN REFUGEE SITUATION, THE USCG HAVE ADVISED US THAT US FUNDS TO IMPLEMENT THEIR SIDE OF THE ORIENTATION AND TRAINING ASPECTS OF THE PROPOSED US TRANSIT DEPARTURE CAMP IN HONG KONG WILL

NOT BE IMMEDIATELY FORTHCOMING.

2. UNTIL THE USCG IS CLEARER ABOUT THE PROJECT WE ARE SUSPENDING

ANY FURTHER ACTION, THOUGH THIS WILL NOT DELAY ITS IMPLEMENTATION ONCE THE US AUTHORITIES NOTIFY US THAT THEY WISH TO GO AHEAD. MEANWHILE THE 'NORMAL' OFF TAKE OF REFUGEES TO THE US WILL NOT

BE AFFECTED ADVERSELY.

3. ON A RELATED MATTER, STUMPF HAS CABLED THAT A RECOMMENDATION MIGHT BE MADE TO THE GERMAN GOVERNMENT BY DR MEINECKE, MP, SPD, MEMBER OF THE BUNDESTADT, FOR AN INCREASE OF INTAKE OF 10,000 REFUGEES OF WHICH 2,500 WOULD COME FROM HONG KONG. THE GOVERNOR HAS WRITTEN TO MURRAY SUGGESTING THAT, IF MEINECKE MAKES HIS RECOMMENDATION TO THE GERMAN GOVERNMENT, THE SECRETARY OF STATE MIGHT CONSIDER COMMUNICATING WITH HERR GENSCHER URGING HIM TO DO

SOMETHING MORE FOR HONG KONG. SO FAR THIS YEAR THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC HAS TAKEN ONLY 476 REFUGEES FROM HONG KONG.

4. THERE ARE 39,681 REFUGEES IN HONG KONG OF WHICH 1,596 HAVE ARRIVED SINCE 1 JANUARY, ARRIVALS IN MAY ARE 575 TO DATE INCLUDING

299 EX CHINA.

MACLCHOSE

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