TNAG-1276-FCO40-1626-Resettlement-of-Vietnamese-refugees-from-Hong-Kong-1983 — Page 24

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Aqjon Taken

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INDEX

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GPS 175

CONFUDENTHAL

FM HONG KONG 250527Z OCT 83

TO PRIORITY FCO

TELEGRAM NUMBER 1593 OF 25 OCTOBER 1983

24312

see (163), 61

WINFO PRIORITY TOKYO AND ROUTINE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE ONDON

VIETNAMESE REFUGEES

comott SEAD/FED.

poze 3.

I see no Mes

MIFT IS THE TEXT OF A LETTER WE HAVE SENT TO THE JAPANESE

CONSUL-GENERAL, SEEKING AN APPROPRIATE SLICE OF THE CEILING OF 5,000 THE JAPANESE HAVE JUST ANNOUNCED FOR THEIR QUOTA H*N RESPECT OF REFUGEES FROM VIETNMAM. OUR INTENTION #S TO DISCUSS

THE ISSUE WITH HIM PERSONALLY IN GREATER DETAIL. WE WILL LET

YOU KNOW THE OUTCOME.

3. MEANWHILE WOULD IT BE APPROPRIATE FOR TOKYO TO MAKE LIKE

ADVANCES WITH THE JAPANESE GOVERNMENT? IF SO, WE WILL SEND

TOKYO FURTHER BACKGROUND MATERIAL ON OUR DIFFICULT AND

#NCREASING VR PROBLEMS.

3. AS REGARDS JAPAN IN PARTICULAR, THE JAPANESE HAVE RESETTLED

135 REFUGEES ONLY FROM HONG KONG SINCE 1975. THEIR LATEST

INITIATIVE WAS TO SEND A RESETTLEMENT TEAM HERE IN SEPTEMBER.

THE TEAM INTERVIEWED MORE THAN 200 INDIVIDUALS, OF WHOM THEY

HAVE REFERRED ONLY 24 BACK TO TOKYO FOR CONSIDERATION. THUS IF

THE NEW CEILING IS TO MEAN MUCH FOR HONG KONG HIN PRACTICE, WE

MAY HAVE TO SEEK A SIGNIFICANT LIBERALISATION OF THEIR PRESENT

CRITERIA FOR RESETTLEMENT.

Why not.

YOUDE

BOAT PEOPLE

LIMITED

SEAD

HKD

באט

FED

PUSD

NEWS D MAED PS

PS/LADY YOUNG PS/MR LUCE PS/PUS

MR WRIGHT MR GIFFARD

MR DONALD

MR ADAMS

MR URE

ADDITIONAL DISTRIBUTION

BOAT PEOPLE

COPIES TO:

HONG KONG GOVT. OFFICE,

LONDON

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