TNAG-1184-FCO40-1486-Resettlement-of-Vietnamese-refugees-from-Hong-Kong-into-the--1982 — Page 52

PP CANBERRA

GR 163

CONFIDENTIAL

FM FCO 292029Z OCT 82

TO PRIORITY CANBERRA

CONFIDENTIAL

TELEGRAM NUMBER 391 OF 29 OCTOBER,

273

INFO HONG KONG, UKMIS GENEVA

(274

HKK 243 RV32887TY NO. 5

DESK ONCE? INDEX

PA

action

Ра

HONG KONG TELNOS 1238 AND 1239: VIETNAMESE REFUGEES

1. PLEASE LOBBY AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT AS RECOMMENDED IN TELEGRAMS

UNDER REFERENCE.

2. CLEARLY IN PRESENT ECONOMIC CIRCUMSTANCES THE AUSTRALIANS MAY BE

RELUCTANT TO CONSIDER TAKING A LARGER NUMBER OF REFUGEES NEXT YEAR

TO ACCOMMODATE AN INCREASE FROM HONG KONG, BUT ALLOWING HONG KONG

(WHICH NOW HAS MORE BOAT PEOPLE THAN ANY OTHER COUNTRY OF FIRST

ASYLUM) AN INCREASED PROPORTION OF CURRENT ADMISSIONS WOULD BE A

GREAT HELP.

3. THE AUSTRALIANS ARE PROBABLY AWARE THAT WE HAVE TAKEN IN 16,500

VIETNAMESE SO FAR (THREE QUARTERS OF THEM FROM HONG KONG)

AND HAVE A CONTINUING POTENTIAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR THOSE PICKED UP

BY UK SHIPPING. THE CANADIANS HAVE ALSO TAKEN OVER 14,000 BOAT

PEOPLE FROM HONG KONG SINCE 1975.

PYM

NNNN

LIMITED

SEAD

HKGD

SPD

UND

NEWS DEPT

PS/LORD BELSTEAD

PS/PUS

MR DONALD

MR URF

1

CONFIDENTIAL

278