TNAG-1180-FCO40-1482-Resettlement-of-Vietnamese-refugees-from-Hong-Kong-into-the--1982 — Page 106

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4. HARTLING SUGGESTED AS A PERSONAL THOUGHT THAT HMG SHOULD

CONSIDER TAKING SOME MORE REFUGEES: AND THAT HONG KONG MIGHT IN

THE END BE ABLE TO ABSORB THE LAST FEW. A FIGURE OF SIX TO EIGHT

THOUSAND COULD NOT BE ACCEPTED. YOUDE DREW ATTENTION TO THE GREAT

CONTRIBUTION WHICH HONG KONG HAD ALREADY MADE IN THE RESETTLEMENT

OF REFUGEES AND IMMIGRANTS AND POINTED OUT THAT IT WAS NOT SO MUCH

A MATTER OF ENDING THE RUN BY RESETTLING THE LAST THOUSAND BUT OF

PLANNING HOW TO DEAL WITH THE PROBLEMS POSED BY A CONTINUING

FLOW AND A FORMATION OF A HARD-CORE.

5. IN HIS DISCUSSIONS WITH HOLDRIDGE YOUDE EXPRESSED GRATITUDE

TO THE AMERICANS FOR THEIR UPLIFT OF VIETNAMESE REFUGEES FROM

HONG KONG. WHEN HE SUGGESTED THAT THE UNITED STATES SHOULD

ANNOUNCE PUBLICLY THEIR MORE STRINGENT CRITERIA HOLDRIDGE SAID

THAT THEY WERE RELUCTANT TO DO SO BECAUSE IT MIGHT LEAD TO PRESSUR

IN COUTRIES OF FIRST.ASYLUM TO REFUSE TO TAKE REFUGEES IN FUTURE.

YOUDE SAID THAT THE PROBLEM WOULD REMAIN OF DISCOURAGING

VIETNAMESE REFUGEES FROM LEAVING THE COUNTRY IN THE HOPE THAT

THEY WOULD BE ABLE TO PASS THROUGH COUNTRIES OF FIRST ASYLUM TO

THE UNITED STATES. HOLDRIDGE SAID THAT THE UNITED STATES WOULD

CONTINUE TO KEEP IN CLOSE TOUCH WITH THE HONG KONG AUTHORITIES AND

WOULD TRY TO BE AS RESPONSIVE AS IN THE PAST.

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