TNAG-1275-FCO40-1625-Resettlement-of-Vietnamese-refugees-from-Hong-Kong-1983 — Page 153

00 GEORGETOWN DESKBY 22200OZ

GRS 635

CONFIDENTIAL

DESKBY 222000Z

FM FCO 221445Z FEB 83

TO IMMEDIATE GEORGETOWN

CONFIDENTIAL

P.A... ра

34

See (38)

3550 1

HKK 243 2

30. $1

2 3 FEB 1983

RY

спашо

TELEGRAM NUMBER 15 OF 22 FEBRUARY

INFO HONG KONG, PARIS

0

24

31

PARIS TELNOS 136 AND 143 AND YOUR TELNO 30 : PROPOSED RESETTLEMENT

OF_VIETNAMESE REFUGEES IN FRENCH GUIANA

1. THE FOLLOWING IS TO GIVE YOU SOME BACKGROUND ON STUMPF'S

RECENT VISIT TO FRENCH GUIANA IN ADVANCE OF YOUR OWN VISIT.

2. KARL STUMPF IS VICE CHAIRMAN OF THE HONG KONG COMMUNITY

COUNCIL FOR THE RESETTLEMENT OF VIETNAMESE REFUGEES, A VOLUNTARY

ORGANISATION. HE HAS TRAVELLED WIDELY IN NORTH AMERICA AND IN

EUROPE IN SUPPORT OF VIETNAMESE REFUGEE RESETTLEMENT PROGRAMMES

AND HAS A GREAT MANY CONTACTS IN GOVERNMENTAL AND NON-GOVERNMENTAL

AGENCIES. FRENCH GUIANA WAS AMONG THOSE PLACES WHERE HE WAS

HOPEFUL THAT RESETTLEMENT OPPORTUNITIES COULD BE FOUND. THE FRENCH

AUTHORITIES IN PARIS HAD, IN 1981, GIVEN THEIR AGREEMENT IN

PRINCIPLE TO STUMPF VISITING FRENCH GUIANA TO EXPLORE THE

POSSIBILITIES.

3. IT WAS NOT, HOWEVER, UNTIL JANUARY THIS YEAR THAT THE VISIT

FINALLY TOOK PLACE. IT WAS AGREED THAT HE SHOULD TRAVEL FIRST TO

PARIS TO MEET OFFICIALS AT THE QUAI AND THE DOM-TOMS, WHICH HE

DID FROM 15 TO 19 JANUARY. THE FRENCH GAVE STUMPF'S PROPOSALS A FULL HEARING BUT INDICATED THAT THERE WOULD BE REAL DIFFICULTIES IN RESETTLING VIETNAMESE REFUGEES FROM HONG KONG IN FRENCH GUIANA, NOTABLY BECAUSE THERE WAS ALREADY ETHNIC TROUBLE THERE WITH THE LOCALS RESENTFUL OF THE MONG REFUGEES (FROM LAOS) WHO

HAD SETTLED SEVERAL YEARS AGO. (THERE MUST ALSO BE SOME FRENCH CONCERN, AS THE QUAI MENTIONED TO LORD BELSTEAD (PARIS TELNO 143 PARA 3) THAT REFUGEES SETTLED IN GUIANA WILL HAVE AUTOMATIC ACCESS TO METROPOLITAN FRANCE AND ARE LIKELY TO GRAVITATE TO PARIS.)

STUMPF WENT STRAIGHT FROM PARIS TO FRENCH GUIANA WHERE HE

4.

1

CONFIDENTIAL