TNAG-1090-FCO40-1340-Illegal-immigration-from-China-to-Hong-Kong-of-refugees-orig-1981 — Page 38

27

ERS 275

CONFIDENTIAL

CONFIDENTIAL

FM HONG KONG 121050Z JUNE 81

TO PRIORITY F C O

TELEGRAM NUMBER 584 OF 12 JUNE

INFO PRIORITY PEKING UKMIS GENEVA

No

Here 1/21

RECEIVED IN RESTRY NO. 51

15 JUN 1981

DESK OFFICER

INDEX

REGISTRY

291.

PA

Action Taken

MES

PEKING TELNO 38 TO HONG KONG (NOT TO UKMIS GENEVA): VIETNAMESE REFUGEES FROM CHINA

Bu

19표

hoted pas 1076

THE MFA'S COMMENTS ON THE PROBLEM IN MACAU ARE UNREALISTIC. EVEN IF MACAU COULD PREPARE DETAILED NAMEL ISTS AS WE HAVE DONE, ON PAST FORM CHINESE VERIFICATION TAKES MONTHS. MACAU LACKS SECURE ACCOMMODATION EVEN FOR PRESENT NUMBERS: AND DURING THE TYPHOON SEASON THERE IS CONSIDERABLE RISK OF DISASTERS. DELAY IN RETURN HAS ALREADY (AS WE PREDICTED) ENCOURAGED THE INFLOW TO CONTINUE. AS OF 12 JUNE SOME 5,400 VIETNAMESE REFUGEES FROM CHINA HAVE REACHED MACAU SINCE 1 MAY ON 218 FLIMSY CRAFT. OVER 2,000 ARRIVED IN THE PAST WEEK.

2. THE MFA COMMENTS ON THE POSITION HERE WERE UNINFORMED. NO MEETING WAS HELD ON 3 JUNE. THE NCNA VENTURED THE EXPLANATION THAT GUANGZHOU PROBABLY TOLD THE MFA THERE WAS TO BE A MEETING: BUT ARRANGEMENTS FOR IT HAVE NOT

YET BEEN MADE.

3. IT SEEMS ODD THAT THE MFA SHOULD NOT EXPECT TO BE INFORMED OF THE OUTCOME OF A MEETING ON THIS SUBJECT. FROM HERE, THERE ARE SIGNS OF CONSIDERABL PROVINCIAL FOOT-DRAGGING. WITHOUT GREATER PRESSURE FROM THE MFA, WE FEAR THIS WILL CONTINUE.

Mas

see

4. WE WOULD BE GRATEFUL IF YOU WOULD CONSIDER MAKING REPRESENTIONS

TO THE CHINESE EMBASSY IF PEKING THIS WOULD HELP. WE WOULD

FA

32

35

OF COUSE SEND ANY FURTHER UPDATE WHICH YOU NEEDED. THIS TELEGRAM

MACLEHOSE

WAS NOT ADVANCED

COPIES TO:

HONG KONG GOVT OFFICE

LONDON

LIMITED

HK vGD

SEAD

UND

FED

ECD (E) NEWS.D SED

PS. PS|LPS PS/MA RIDLEY Ps Pus

MR DONALD

MA URE

LORD N.G. LENNOX

CONFIDENTIAL