TNAG-0974-FCO40-1193-Resettlement-of-Vietnamese-refugees-from-Hong-Kong-in-other--1980 — Page 20

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I C Orr Esq

Assistant Political Adviser

Hong Kong

Dear Ian

VIETNAMESE REFUGEES: RESETTLEMENT IN THE FRG

1.

British Embassy Bonn

15 July 1980

Thank you for your letter of 4 July. I have sent a copy to Munich who will no doubt bear the point, in mind in their contacts with the Bavarian authorities.

2. As the Ambassador said in his letter of 9 June to Mr Donald, it will not be easy to get the Germans to agree to an increase in the off-take from Hong Kong despite the recent increase in their South East Asian quota (my letter of today's date to Williamson, copied to you). The pressure on refugee reception facilities has, without doubt, got worse since Dr Stumpf's visit because of a flood of refugees from Turkey, the Horn of Africa and South Asia who are ostensibly seeking political asylum. A number of cities, including Frankfurt, have refused to accept any more refugees. A law aimed at deterring applications for asylum was passed by the Bundestag last week; and with the Federal Elections only four months away, it now seems increasingly unlikely that German politicians will focus on Hong Kong's problem in any helpful way until at least November.

QURI

your

Stewart

SG Eldon

Сс

TCS Stitt Esq, SEAD, FCO P J Williamson Esq, HKGD, FCO HMCGS in the FRG

BMG Berlin

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