TNAG-1273-FCO40-1623-Vietnamese-refugees-in-Hong-Kong-1983 — Page 50

GRS 350A

CONFIDENTIAL

HKK 243/1

RECEIVED IN REGISTRY

13 MAY 1983

DESK OFFICER

INDEX

CONFIDENTIAL

FM PARIS 11180OZ MAY 83

TO PRIORITY F C O

TELEGRAM NUMBER 386 OF 11 MAY

INFO UKMIS GENEVA, CANBERRA, OTTAWA, HONGKONG, WASHINGTON,

HANOI.

(2

YOUR TELNO 125 TO UKMIS GENEVA: VIETNAMESE REFUGEES.

PA

Aca

V AF 13/5

ir fonte

PA HKK 243/1

1. THE HEAD OF CHANCERY TOOK ACTION ON 11 MAY WITH PICARD, HEAD

OF THE QUAI DEPARTMENT RESPONSIBLE FOR FOREIGNERS IN FRANCE.

2. PICARD SAID THAT HE WOULD SUBMIT THE UK PROPOSAL FOR A JOINT

DEMARCHE TO THE VIETNAMESE GOVERNMENT WITHIN THE QUAI. THE

DECISION WOULD NO DOUBT HAVE TO BE TAKEN BY CHEYSSON. ALTHOUGH

HE SAID NOTHING PRECISE, PICARD'S GENERAL ATTITUDE TOWARDS THE

LIKELY SUCCESS OF SUCH A DEMARCHE AND THEREFORE OF FRANCE'S

WILLINGNESS TO TAKE PART IN IT, WAS SCEPTICAL ALTHOUGH HE AGREED

THAT THERE WAS A PROBLEM WHICH NEEDED A SOLUTION AND HAD NO 3ETTER

I DE AS HIMSELF ABOUT WHAT MIGHT BE DONE.

3. ON THE UK REQUEST THAT THE FRENCH MIGHT TAKE MORE REFUGEES FROM

HONG KONG, PICARD SAID THAT FRANCE ALREADY HAD CONSIDERABLE

OBLIGATIONS TOWARDS CAMBODIANS AND THAIS WHO HAD FAMILIES IN FRANCE.

THE FRENCH WERE TAKING 300 KHMERS PER MONTH AND WOULD CONTINUE TO HAVE TO DO SO PROBABLY UNTIL THE MIDDLE OF 1984. THEY WERE TAKING

250 THA IS PER MONTH BUT EVEN SO HAD HAD TO ESTABLISH A TRANSIT

CAMP IN INDONESIA WHERE 2,000 WERE BEING HELD. THESE WOULD NOT BE ABSORBED BEFORE THE END OF 1983 AT THE EARLIEST. THEY WERE ALSO

TAKING ABOUT 50 VIETNAMESE PER MONTH IN ADDITION TO BOAT PEOPLE.

WHILE HE WOULD SUBMIT THE UK'S REQUEST TO HIS SUPERIORS, HE HAD VERY LITTLE HOPE THAT THE FRENCH GOVERNMENT WOULD FIND IT POSSIBLE

TO TAKE ANY MORE REFUGEES FROM HONGKONG. ARBUTHNOTT URGED NEVER-

THELESS THAT THE FRENCH GOVERNMENT SHOULD SEE WHETHER IT COULD

AT LEAST TAKE A FEW GIVEN THE SERIOUSNESS OF HONGKONG'S

DIFFICULTIES.

54

Sed (42)

CONFIDENTIAL

4. PICARD