TNAG-1184-FCO40-1486-Resettlement-of-Vietnamese-refugees-from-Hong-Kong-into-the--1982 — Page 61

HKK 243/1

Торсору,

(273

202

GR 250

CONFIDENTIAL

CONFIDENTIAL

INDEX

STRY

Taken

PA

FM HONG KONG 280740Z OCT 82

TO PRIORITY FCO

TELEGRAM NUMBER 1238 OF 28 OCTOBER

INFO PRIORITY HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE LONDON, CANBERRA,

UKMIS GENEVA

VIETNAMESE REFUGEES.

WE BELIEVE AUSTRALIANS WILL SHORTLY BE DECIDING ALLOCATION OF

VIETNAMESE REFUGEE RESETTLEMENT PLACES BETWEEN PORTS OF FIRST

ASYLUM FOR 1983.

2. AUSTRALIAN OFFTAKE FROM HONG KONG HAS NOT SO FAR BEEN GOOD.

PRIORITY HAVING BEEN GIVEN TO ASEAN. BETWEEN JULY 1979 AND AUGUST

1982 AUSTRALIA HAS TAKEN ONLY 2477 FROM HONG KONG, AGAINST 10175 FROM INDONESIA, 29014 FROM MALAYSIA AND 6395 FROM THAILAND. HOWEVER, HARD LOBBYING NOW AT A SENIOR LEVEL, DRAWING ON OUR -TELNO 1065 TO YOU MIGHT PERSUADE THE AUSTRALIANS TO REDRESS THE

BALANCE.

3. GRATEFUL THEREFORE IF YOU WOULD CONSIDER ARRANGING SUCH ACTION IN CANBERRA, WHICH WE WOULD FOLLOW WITH COMMISSION HERE.

4. SIR J CATER (HONG KONG COMMISSIONER IN LONDON AND FORMERLY CHIEF SECRETARY) IS NOW IN AUSTRALIA. IF HE GOES TO CANBERRA,

HE WILL CONTACT HIGH COMMISSION TO ARRANGE MEETINGS WITH AUSTRALIAN ADMINISTRATION.

5. WE DO NOT KNOW WHETHER CATER WILL GO TO CANBERRA BUT BELIEVE IN ANY CASE THAT SEPARATE LOBBYING IN CANBERRA IS ALSO NEEDED. 6. TEXT OF CATER'S BRIEF IS IN MIFT.

Af2960

see 274

278

YOUDE

SEAD

HK + GD

FED

UND

NEWS D

PS

PS/LORD BELSTEAD

PS/ PUS

MR DONALD

MR URE

274

COPIES TO:

HKGO LONDON

THIS TELEGRAM

WAS NOT ADVANCED

CONFIDENTIAL