TNAG-1277-FCO40-1627-Resettlement-of-Vietnamese-refugees-from-Hong-Kong-1983 — Page 101

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CONFIDENTIAL

FM TOKYO 15090OZ NOV

TO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG

TELNO 110 OF 15 NOV 83

INFO FCO

CONFIDENTIAL

PA

186

YOUR TELEGRAM NO 88: VIETNAMESE REFUGESS IN HONG KONG.

1. SINCE THE DIRECTOR GENERAL OF THE ASIAN AFFAIRS

BUREAU WAS UNAVAILABLE WHITEHEAD SPOKE THIS AFTERNOON

TO ONDA, DEPUTY DIRECTOR GENERAL IN THE BUREAU. MASUI,

HEAD OF THE DIVISION FOR REFUGEE AFFAIRS WAS PRESENT

FOR PART OF THE DISCUSSION.

2. WHITEHEAD DREW HEAVILY ON YOUR TELEGRAM NO 1626

TO THE FCO AND URGED THAT THE JAPANESE GOVERNMENT SHOULD

TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY OF AN INCREASE IN ITS REFUGEE QUOTA

TO DO SOMETHING PARTICULARLY TO HELP TO EASE THE

INCREASINGLY DIFFICULT REFUGEE SITUATION IN HONG KONG.

HE REFERRED NOT ONLY TO YOUR DISCUSSIONS WITH SUGIMOTO IN

THE JAPANESE CONSULATE GENERAL IN HONG KONG BUT

ALSO TO THE CALL WHICH FUJII, THE NEWLY APPOINTED

JAPANESE CONSUL GENERAL, WOULD BE MAKING ON 16 NOVEMBER.

3. ONDA TOOK CAREFUL NOTE BUT HIS REPLIES SHOULD

AT BEST BE INTERPRETED AS DEMONSTRATING A CAUTIOUS

APPROACH. THE FOLLOWING WERE THE MAIN POINTS:-

A) THE JAPANESE GOVERNMENT WERE AWARE OF THE

PROBLEM IN HONG KONG AND WOULD DO WHAT THEY

COULD. BUT THEY COULD NOT PROMISE TO TAKE SPECIFIC NUMBERS.

E) JAPAN WAS 'NOT ATTRACTIVE FOR RESETTLEMENT ''

IN THE EYES OF MOST VIETNAMESE. IT HAD

TAKEN NEARLY 6 YEARS FOR 2,689 VIETNAMESE TO DECIDE TO SETTLE HERE. THERE WAS A -''NATURAL GROWTH OF PEOPLE WHO DESIRE TO

RESETTLE IN JAPAN WHICH SEEMS TO RUN AT

ABOUT 500 A YEAR''.

C) THE INCREASE IN THE QUOTA WAS DESIGNED

TO ACCOMMODATE THIS NATURAL GROWTH'' RATHER

THAN HERALDING A CHANGE IN JAPANESE POLICY.

D) JAPAN HAD TAKEN A TOTAL OF 1,242 REFUGEES

FROM OTHER COUNTRIES (THE REST HAD COME

TO JAPAN DIRECT ON FIRST PORT OF CALL

BASIS). THE FIGURES OF 135 REFUGEES

FROM HONG KONG WAS NOT SU SMALL WHEN SEEN

IN THIS PERSPECTIVE.

E) JAPAN ALSO HAD A PROBLEM OF 1,979 REFUGEES

HERE WHO WISHED TO SETTLE ELSEWHERE.

F) THE JAPANESE GOVERNMENT HAD BEEN INDICATING

INDIRECTLY TO THE VIETNAMESE GOVERNMENT THAT IT

SHOULD BEHAVE MORE RESPONSIBLY'' AS FAR AS ITS OWN CITIZENS WERE CONCERNED, IN THE HOPE THAT

THIS WOULD REDUCE THE NUMBER OF REFUGEES LEAVING

THE COUNTRY.

CONFIDENTIAL

HKCK 243/2

RECEIVED IN PEL ISTANY LENOV 3

INDEA

see (187)

PRIORY

Take

:4.