TNAG-1180-FCO40-1482-Resettlement-of-Vietnamese-refugees-from-Hong-Kong-into-the--1982 — Page 124

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T/L COPENHAGEN

HKK 243/1

0318

GRS 653

RESTRICTED

TELELETTER

J24.3 A2/31

FROM R P MARGOLIS ESQ DEPUTY POLITICAL ADVISOR, HONG KONG FILE REFERENCE: SCR 48/4821/79 OF 26 MARCH 1982

FOLLOWING FOR P J WILLIAMSON ESQ HK GD FCO

TCS STITT ESQ SEAD FCO

D JE RATFORD ESQ CVO HEAD OF CHANCERY, COPENHAGEN.

VIETNAMESE REFUGEES RESCUED AT SEA

WE HAVE ASKED THE DANISH CONSUL-GENERAL TO CALL ON 2 APRIL, TO TAKE UP WITH HIM THE DANES' UNSATISFACTORY PERFORMANCE

OVER REMOVING FROM HONG KONG REFUGEES RESCUED AT SEA BY DANISH VESSELS. WE HOPE THAT THE WEEK'S NOTICE WE HAVE GIVEN MARCUSSEN WILL ALLOW HIM TO GET SOME REACTION FROM COPENHAGEN TO CUR REPEATED REMINDERS THAT A NUMBER OF SUCH CASES ARE LONG OVERDUE FOR REMOVAL. IF WE STILL GET NO SATISFACTION WHEN HE CALLS, WE MAY WISH TO RECOMMEND THAT H M EMBASSY COPENHAGEN PURSUE THE MATTER, IN THAT CASE, OR IN CASE THE DANES TAKE THE INITIATIVE IN TACKLING YOU OR COPENHAGEN MEANWHILE, THE FOLLOWING BACKGROUND MAY BE HELPFUL.

2. OUP POLICY, NOTIFIED TO THE DOYEN OF THE CONSULAR CORPS

HERE IN MAY 1981, IS THAT SHIPS CARRYING VIETNAMESE REFUGEES

RESCUED AT SEA WILL BE ALLOWED TO DISEMBARK THEM IN HONG KONG

ONLY IF:

A. HONG KONG WAS THE NEXT PORT OF CALL: AND

B. THE FLAG, OR OTHER GUARANTEE, STATE UNDERTAKES TO REMOVE FROM HONG KONG WITHIN 90 DAYS ANY WHOM UNHCR HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO RESETTLE ELSEWHERE.

(SINGAPORE HAS THE SAME POLICY). ALTHOUGH THE DANES HAVE GIVEN SUCH UNDERTAKINGS WHEN DANISH SHIPS HAVE BROUGHT REFUGEES TO HONG KONG, THEY NOW HAVE 19 CASES WHO, IN SPITE OF REPEATED REMINDERS, ARE STILL HERE AND LONG OVERDUE FOR REMOVAL.

3. THE DANES ARE NOT THE ONLY OFFENDERS (WE ARE ALSC HARRYING THE DUTCH) BUT UNLIKE THE STRAIGHFORWARD LAGGARDS, THEY ARE EITHER DELIBERATELY MISCONSTRUING, OR CLAIMING TO MISUNDERSTAND, OUR POLICY. IN SPITE OF THEIR UNDERTAKINGS, THEY ARE PROTESTING TO US AND UNHCR THAT SOME OF THE REFUGEES

THEY ARE BEING ASKED TO REMOVE DO IN FACT HAVE LINKS WITH

OTHER COUNTRIES, WHERE IT WOULD BE MORE SUITABLE TO SEE

THEM RESETTLED. WE HAVE MADE CLEAR TO MARCUSSEN THAT WHILE WE

ACCEPT THE DESIRABILITY OF RESETTLING PEOPLE IN THE OPTIMUM

PLACE, WE MUST AS A POINT OF FIRST ASYLUM (WITH THE LARGEST

BOAT-REFUGEE CASELOAD IN THE REGION) SET A REALISTIC LIMIT

TO THE TIME WE ALLOW FOR SUCH ALTERNATIVE POSSIBILITIES TO

BE EXPLORED. OUR POLICY ACCORDINGLY ALLOWS ONLY 2 MONTHS FOR

THIS: AND WE REQUIRE FLAG STATES TO REMOVE WITHIN THE ENSUING

MONTH ANY WHO HAVE NOT BEEN FIRMLY PLACED ELSEWHERE BY UNHCR.

THE DANES ARE WELL AWARE OF THIS POLICY, AND HAVE GIVEN US

UNDERTAKINGS WHENEVER THEIR SHIPS HAVE BROUGHT REFUGEES IN.

BUT THEY ARE SIMPLY NOT MOVING THEIR BACKLOG. WE SHALL TELL

MARCUSSEN THAT IF THE DANES CONTINUE TO OVERLOOK THEIR

UNDERTAKINGS, WE SHALL NEED TO CONSIDER VERY CAREFULLY WHETHER TO ALLOW DANISH VESSELS TO DISEMBARK REFUGEES AT reamswathe, ALL IN FUTURE CASES. THIS IS NOT AN EMPTY THREAT: THE

DRYING UP OF RESETTLEMENT PROGRAMMES, AND INCREASINGLY RESTRICTIVE CHANGES IN THOSE FEW REMAINING (E.G. AMERICAN AND AUSTRALIAN) MAKE IT ESSENTIAL FOR US TO INSIST ON THE PROMPT REMOVAL FROM HONG KONG OF THOSE REFUGEES OVER

WHOSE DEPARTURE WE DO HAVE CONTROL.

4. WE WILL LET YOU AND COPENHAGEN KNOW THE OUTCOME OF

MARCUSSEN'S CALL.

This is

5. H K AND G D REGISTRY PLEASE PASS COPIES TO T C S STITT,

SEAD,

SIGNED. R P MARGOLIS

сору над веди Развед

To

COPENHAGEN

ANAN