TNAG-0974-FCO40-1193-Resettlement-of-Vietnamese-refugees-from-Hong-Kong-in-other--1980 — Page 49

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1.30 p.m.:

A courtesy visit to Propst Hollm, the 2nd in command

of Berlin's protestant churches and congregations. He agreed to bring our case to the attention of the Bishop of Berlin and through him to the "Rat der Evangelischen Kirche in Deutschland".

Hollm only recently was appointed to this office.

Propst

7.30 p.m.:

I delivered a speech to the congregation of Berlin

Siemensstadt. A lively discussion ensued. I thanked the congre-

gation for their donation of DM20,000 to the Sham Shui Po Centre.

Tuesday, 6.5.80

10 a.m.:

I attended a press conference in Berlin-Siemensstadt.

Present were "Berliner Morgen", "die Welt", "Spandauer Volksblatt"

and the "Evangelische Pressedienst" (Appendix 8).

12 noon:

Meeting with Reverend Jaekel (Director, Diakonisches Werk

Berlin). This elderly gentleman is about to retire and had little

to contribute.

26 p.m.:

I visited 2 Processing Centres for Vietnamese refugees

(Asyl Teupitzer Strasse, Neukölln and Asyl Saatwinkler Damm 61,

Charlottenburg). These are institutions for the homeless (mostly

alcoholics, drifters, delinquents) and, therefore, not very suitable

for the Vietnamese refugees although they have separate quarters in

these houses. As nearly all are from Hong Kong and many from Sham

Shui Po, I received numerous requests to assist in getting their

relatives and friends to Berlin or, at least, to Germany. Things,

especially language training, are not well organized with little

contact to German families. This isolation does not foster integra-

tion but rather a ghetto situation. Efforts are now under way to

get them into flats of their own and into employment.

8 p.m.: I attended the weekly "Vietnamesen-Treff" in the Fontana-

Haus, Maerkisches Viertel. There were about 100 Vietnamese men and

women who had been under the care and guidance of a very city govern-

ment committed team in this area.

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