TNAG-0975-FCO40-1194-Resettlement-of-Vietnamese-refugees-from-Hong-Kong-in-other--1980 — Page 13

Toon

INFORMATION BRANCH

GOVERNMENT SECRETARIAT

布政司署新聞科

1710 New World Tower, 16-18 Queen's Road, Central, Hong Kong. Tel: 5-211381 香港皇后大道中16-18號 新世界大厦 1710室 電話: 5-211381

Our Ref.:

IB 581/2 IV

本署檔號:

Mr. D.R. Snoxell,

UKMIS Geneva,

37-39 rue de Vermont,

1211 Geneva 20.

Your Ref.:

來函檔號:

27th October, 1980

HICK 24315

PA

НК

27.

1.31

14 NOV 1930

RACEMAD FAM

Dear froselly

INDEX

PA

Teken

n

I understand from Dr. Karl Stumpf that you were with the team which attended the recent UNHCR Workshop on the integration of refugees., We have had a verbal report from Dr. Stumpf here on his return, but we would still be very interested to see a copy of any note you may have of the proceedings.

I confess that I did not completely hoist on board the detail of Dr. Stumpf's comments, but I understand that it was recommended to the Executive Committee of UNHCR that a sub- committee should be set up to deal in future with the questions of the movement of Vietnamese refugees and countreis quotas. I enclose a note he handed us, which probably you will already have on file. In this context I understand that some countries,. especially those taking smaller numbers, were criticised for appearing to indicate that they were no longer fully committed to maintaining a high level of off-take from countries of first asylum.

I might add in a related context that we have set up here a small group, with low-level UNHCR participation, to consider the question of the resettlement of those in 'vulnerable' groups. We are concerned that unless efforts to press their resettlement are set in hand at this stage, many in this category may be left at the end. It seems likely that at the next meeting of the Hong Kong Community Council (on 13 November) voluntary agencies representatives may seek to incorporate UNHCR more fully into our work on resettlement.

You may also just like to know that the preliminary meeting in Geneva of the ICVA in September which Dr. Stumpf attended has agreed to set up a conference in Bangkok probably in February of next year, to deal primarily with the problem of land refugees, with particular reference to those in camps on the Thai/Campuchean border. At Karl Stumpf's urging, the organising committee has apparently agreed to consider including