TNAG-0974-FCO40-1193-Resettlement-of-Vietnamese-refugees-from-Hong-Kong-in-other--1980 — Page 154

GR 420

UNCLASSIFIED

AKK 24315

LIVED IN REGISTRY NO. 51

17 APR 1980

DESK OFFICER

REGISTER

36

FM HONG KONG 1602461

TO PRIORITY BONN

INDEX

PA

Action T

APR 82

Мо

21.4

Ani

TELEGRAM NUMBER 7 OF 16 APRIL

INFO FCO

PY

INFO SAVING COPENHAGEN, STOCKHOLM, OSLO, AMSTERDAM, ROME, BRUSSELS,

PARIS.

DR. KARL STUMPF WILL BE VISITING GERMANY FROM 30 APRIL TO 15 MAY

ON BEHALF OF THE HONG KONG COMMUNITY COUNCIL FOR THE RESETTLEMENT OF VIETNAMESE REFUGEES. THE EXPENSES OF HIS TRIP, WHICH AFTER GERMANY INCLUDES A NUMBER OF OTHER WEST EUROPEAN COUNTRIES, ARE BEING MET BY THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT. HIS PROGRAMME IN GERMANY IS AS FOLLOWS:

30 APRIL

3 MAY FRANKFURT

3 4 MAY MANNHEIM

M3

5

-

8

11

-

5 MAY STUTTGART

8 MAY BONN

11 MAY HAMBURG

15 MAY BERLIN

see

49

see HRR

ник

243/4

1881

2. DR. STUMPF 0.B.E. IS VICE-CHAIRMAN OF THE COMMUNITY COUNCIL. HE IS CONSULTANT TO THE HONG KONG CHRISTIAN SERVICE. AN ACTIVE

SOCIAL WORKER HERE FOR MANY YEARS, HE WAS ELECTED HONG KONG CITIZEN OF THE YEAR OF 1980. ORDAINED A LUTHERAN PASTOR, HE IS

ALSO ADVISER ON REFUGEES TO THE WORLD COUNCIL OF CHURCHES. LAST AUTUMN HE AND MISS DOROTHY LEE MADE A HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL TOUR OF AMERICA AND CANADA TO PUBLICIZE THE CASE FOR RESETTLEMENT OF THE VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE FROM HONG KONG. FLUENT IN GERMAN AND ENGLISH, HE IS COMMITTED, PERSUASIVE, AND AN ABLE PUBLIC SPEAKER. ALTHOUGH MANNHEIM IS HIS HOME TOWN, HE HAS BEEN BASED IN THE FAR EAST FOR THE LAST 30 YEARS.

3. THE RATE OF RESETTLEMENT OF VIETNAMESE REFUGEES FROM HONG KONG

HAS BEEN SLOWER THAN THAT FROM ANY OTHER COUNTRY IN SOUTH EAST ASIA. THERE ARE CURRENTLY SOME 43,000 STILL IN CAMPS HERE, AND THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT IS NATURALLY CONCERNED ABOUT THIS. WE ARE THEREFORE DOING ALL WE CAN TO ARGUE INTERNATIONALLY FOR A SPEEDIER RATE OF RESETTLEMENT. THE COMMUNITY COUNCIL WAS SET UP BY THE GOVERNMENT BUT HAS MOSTLY UNOFFICIAL MEMBERS. WE ATTACH A

GOOD DEAL OF IMPORTANCE TO THIS TRIP, WHICH WILL PROVE PARTICULARLY IMPORTANT IF HONG KONG RECEIVES ANOTHER INFLUX OF REFUGEES THIS

SUMMER.

4. DR. STUMPF HAS ALREADY BEEN IN TOUCH WITH LOCAL CONTACTS (LIST FOLLOWS BY BAG), WITH A VIEW TO ARRANGING HIS PROGRAMME. HOWEVER WE WOULD BE MOST GRATEFUL IF YOU WOULD MAKE PRELIMINARY ARRANGEMENTS FOR CONTACTS WITH POLITICIANS AND SENIOR GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS ON HIS BEHALF. YOU SHOULD KNOW THAT DR SCHOBER,

/ PRESIDENT