TNAG-1273-FCO40-1623-Vietnamese-refugees-in-Hong-Kong-1983 — Page 47

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GPS 500

CONFIDENMAL

CONFIDENTIAL

FM HONG KONG 130245Z MAY 83

TO PRIORITY FCO

:

156

PA HKK 243/1

see 42

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TELEGRAM NUMBER 677 OF 13 MAY 1983

HKK 243/1

INFO PRIORITY HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE LONDON, UKMISEGENEVA,IN REGISTRY PARIS, CANBERRA, OTTAWA, WASHINGTON AND HANOI

42

DESK OFFICER

YOUR TELS NOS. 125 TO UKMIS GENEVA AND 770 TO WASHINGTONDEX

VIETNAMESE REFUGEES

17 MAY 1983

AF 17/5

WE ARE GRATEFUL FOR THE APPROACHES THAT POSTS HAVE BEEN ASKED TO MAKE ON OUR BEHALF. ACTIVITY OF THIS KIND IS USEFUL IN PER- SUADING LOCAL OPINION THAT THE PROBLEM HAS NOT BEEN FORGOTTEN. BUT SINCE THERE CAN BE NO FURTHER RESETTLEMENT IN THE U.K., IT SEEMS TO US THAT THIS SERIES OF DEMARCHES IS UNLIKELY TO PRODUCE ANY SUBSTANTIAL RESULTS, IT IS CLEAR FROM OUR REGULAR CONTACTS WITH THE RELEVANT CONSULATES HERE AND WITH VISITING OFFICIALS FROM RESETTLEMENT COUNTRIES THAT PRESSURE OF THIS KIND IS LIKELY

TO STIMULATE REFERENCES TO THE U.K.'S RESPONSIBILITY FOR HONG

KONG AND TO THE NUMERICALLY MODEST U.K. RESETTLEMENT PROGRAMME, AS WELL AS SUGGESTIONS THAT A FURTHER U.K. RESETTLEMENT EFFORT

WOULD BE THE KEY TO INCREASED OFFTAKE FROM HONG KONG BY THE

OTHER RESETTLEMENT COUNTRIES. AS SEEN FROM HERE, THE ARGUMENTS IN PARA. 5 OF YOUR TEL NO. 125 TO UKMIS GENEVA ARE UNLIKELY TO

CUT MUCH ICE: ALL RESETTLEMENT COUNTRIES HAVE HAD PROBLEMS.

2. IN THIS CONNECTION, THE POYANG RESIDUAL CASES SEEM TO BE

REGARDED BY REPRESENTATIVES OF RESETTLEMENT COUNTRIES HERE AS

A TEST OF HMG'S GOOD FAITH ON SHIP RESCUES AND FAMILY REUNION

CASES AT LEAST. THE AMERICANS IN PARTICULAR REFER TO THE POYANG

WITH MONOTONOUS REGULARITY.

3. UNHCR REGIONAL CO-ORDINATOR SIMINGTON WAS HERE LAST WEEK FOR

INFORMAL DISUCSSIONS ON THE RESETTLEMENT PICTURE. HE MADE SOME INTERESTING POINTS, WHICH POSTS MAY FIND USEFUL AS BACKGROUND (PLEASE PROTECT THE SOURCE):

A) BECAUSE OF THE EXCESSIVE CUTBACK BY INS SINCE THE START OF THE CURRENT US FISCAL YEAR, THE US PROGRAMME WILL NOT MAKE ITS TARGET FOR 1982/83. THE US OFFTAKE FROM HERE RAN AT 100 PER MONTH FROM OCTOBER TO MARCH, BUT INCREASED TO 200 IN APRIL (BECAUSE OF THEIR REVIEW OF RPC REFUSALS AND U.K. NO-SHOWS). SIMINGTON'S VIEW WAS THAT A FAIRER ALLOCATION FOR H.K. WOULD BE ABOUT 300 PLACES PER MONTH, AND THAT THERE WAS SPACE IN THE US PROGRAMME FOR THIS. IN OUR VIEW IT WOULD BE WORTH PUSHING THE STATE DEPARTMENT ON THE SIZE OF THE CURRENT H.K. OFFTAKE. BECAUSE OTHER COUNTRIES TEND TO FOLLOW THE US LEAD, SUCCESS WITH THE

AMERICANS COULD BENEFIT US ELSEWHERE.

CONFIDENTAL

/B) BUT

PA