TNAG-1277-FCO40-1627-Resettlement-of-Vietnamese-refugees-from-Hong-Kong-1983 — Page 102

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4. WHITEHEAD THANKED ONDA FOR HIS UNDERTAKING TO RNSIDER THE MATTER FURTHER AND URGED THAT THIS SHOULD BE DONE IN AS HELPFUL A SPIRIT TOWARDS HONG KONG AS POSSIBLE. HE RECOGNISED THAT THE TOTAL NUMBER OF REFUGEES WHO HAD RESETTLED IN JAPAN WAS SMALL BUT SUGGESTED IN A DELICATE WAY THAT THIS MIGHT HAVE AS MUCH TO DO WITH THE WAY IN WHICH THE JAPANESE AUTHORITIES PRESENTED RE-SETTLEMENT IN JAPAN TO VIETNAMESE REFUGEES AS WITH THE ATTITUDE OF THE REFUGEES THEMSELVES TOWARDS POSSIBLE RE-SETTLEMENT IN JAPAN. HE HOPED IT WOULD BE POSSIBLE FOR THE 'NATURAL INCREASE TO BE STEPPED UP AND THAT IN THIS CONTEXT THE OFF TAKE FROM HONG KONG WOULD BE MARKEDLY GREATER

THAN SEEMED LIKELY AT PRESENT.

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