TNAG-1273-FCO40-1623-Vietnamese-refugees-in-Hong-Kong-1983 — Page 45

GRS 570

CONFIDENTIAL

(57)

see

NEUSTRY

42

HICK 243

RECEIVED IN NEGISTRY

18 MAY 1733

DESK OFF PER

CONFIDENTIAL

INDEX

PA

Joes this mea UNHCR faccept 1 aut portiel

My ples?!

FM UKMIS GENEVA 13132OZ MAY 33

TO PRIORITY FCO

TEL NO 205 OF 13 MAY

TO INFO ROUTINE: HONG KONG, WASHINGTON, HANOI. AND TO INFO SAVING: PARIS, CANBERRA, OTTAWA.

YOUR TELNO 125: VIETNAM REFRGEES.

*

My/sinto

PA HKK 243/1

нии

1. I CALLED ON THE UNHCR DIRECTOR OF ASSISTANCE ON 13 MAY. THE DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF PROTECTION, JACKSON WAS ALSO PRESENT. I SPOKE ON THE LINES OF PARA. 3 OF TUR, MAKING IT CLEAR THAT HMG ATTACHED CONSIDERABLE IMPORTANCE TO THIS QUESTION. I ASKED THAT THE HIGH COMMISSIONER SHOULD BE INFORMED OF THIS APPROACH.

2. ZOLLNER WAS RESPONSIVE. HE SAID UNHCR FULLY RECOGNISED THE PARTICULAR PROBLEMS OF HONG KONG. EVEN THOUGH NUMBERS WERE SMALL, THE LOCAL CIRCUMSTANCES MADE THE PROBLEM PARTICULARLY DIFFICULT. OUR CONCERN AT THE DECLINE IN OFFERS OF RESETTLEMENT WENT HAND IN HAND WITH THAT OF UNHCR. THEY WERE ALREADY DOING WHAT THEY COULD FOR HONG KONG AND WOULD NOW MAKE AN EXTRA EFFORT. ZOLLNER NOTED THAT IN HONG KONG'S CASE THE PROPORTION OF REFUGEES UNLIKELY TO RE-QUALIFY FOR OFFERS OF RESETTLEMENT IN THE NORMAL WAY WAS INCREASING. ALTHOUGH UNHCR REGRETTED HONG KONG'S CLOSED CAMP POLICY, THEY HAD RAISED NO OBJECTIONS BECAUSE OF THE DIFFICULT CIRCUMSTANCES. THEY CONSIDERED HOWEVER THAT THE POLICY DID NOT APPEAR TO HAVE HAD MUCH EFFECT IN DISCOURAGING PEOPLE FROM COMING TO HONG KONG.

3. ZOLLNER COMMENTED THAT ARRIVALS OF NEW REFUGEES HAD DECLINED THROUGHOUT THE REGION. THIS WAS ENCOURAGING, EVEN THOUGH OPPORTUNITIES FOR RESETTLEMENT HAD DECLINED EVEN FASTER. UNHCR HOPED THAT IN THE MEDIUM TERM THE FLOW OF NEW ARRIVALS WOULD DIMINISH TO AN INSIGNIFICANT LEVEL. MEANWHILE THE PROBLEMS OF THE RESIDUE WOULD CAUSE INCREASING CONCERN, UNTIL THE POINT WAS REACHED WHEN COUNTRIES OF RESETTLEMENT COULD BE SURE THAT THE PROBLEM WAS IN SIGHT OF A CONCLUSION. AS LONG AS THEY WERE UNSURE WHEN THIS WOULD BE, THEY WOULD NOT WISH TO RELAX, FOR FRAR OF ENCOURAGING NEW FLOWS: BUT AT THAT STAGE THERE WOULD BE SCOPE FOR A CONCERTED INTERNATIONAL EFFORT TO CLEAR UP THE RESIDUE. SPEAKING PERSONALLY, HE FORESAW THIS STAGE BEING REACHED IN 3 TO 5 YEARS. MEANWHILE HOWEVER UNHCR WOULD NOT SLACKEN THEIR EFFORTS TO HELP COUNTRIES IN PARTICULAR DIFFIVULTY LIKE HONG KONG...

CONFIDENTIAL

14. IN

pa.

بيه

3316

i...

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