TNAG-1274-FCO40-1624-Vietnamese-refugees-in-Hong-Kong-1983 — Page 238

From..

Ref.

Secretary for Security.

) in SCR 12/4821/82 II.

Tel. No.

5-271772

Date.

5 July 1983.

MEMO

1 JI

To Commissioner, London Office

(Attn. Mrs. Helen YU)

Your Ref..

130

.in...

VR/HK

dated

243/1

1109

one

30.6.83

Vietnamese Refugees in Hong Kong

flean copy to My Hoare, HKD/

fco.

The Gemini News Service article is indeed a strange all the more so as the freelance journalist concerned has, so far as the undersigned is aware, had no contact with this Branch on VR matters.

2.

I shall not speculate on the origin of some of the stranger quotations, but much of the story is I am sure UNHCR "background" material. This particularly so in the case of the current negotiation over the UNHCR's contribution for the second half of calendar year 1983. During the visit of UNHCR Regional Co-ordinator Simington in May, the suggestion was floated that closed centres were so expensive that some flexibility by the Hong Kong Government in terms of moving closed centre VRS to open centres, at however minimal a reduction in overall costs, would encourage UNHCR HQ to respond more sympathetically to the need for a financial contribution in the second half of 1983. The present position is that UNHCR has been informally advised that it would be inappropriate to "water down" at this stage our limited deterrent in the way proposed. This assessment will be reported to the Executive Council in the Administration's next progress report on the closed centre policy on 12 July 1983. Meanwhile, all the indications are that the UNHCR's suggestion was a negotiating gesture; while their formal confirmation that they will contribute to the cost of closed centres over the next six months will no doubt await our formal response to their suggestions that the closed centre policy be diluted, we have already been informally advised that a UNHCR contribution at the anticipated level (about $10 million) will be forthcoming.

HKK 243/1

RECEIVED IN REGISTRY

18 JUL 1983

taby

13.7.83

DESK OFFICER

INDEX

PA

REGISTR

Aptron Tu

(CE. LEEKS) for Secretary for Security

c.c. Secretary for Home Affairs

CONFIDENTIAL #