TNAG-1374-FCO40-1820-Ministerial-visits-from-the-UK-to-Hong-Kong-1985 — Page 119

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FROM: DIS

TO : ALL OVERSEAS OFFICES

OCT 28, 1985

THE FOLLOWING WAS ISSUED TO THE LOCAL PRESS AT 1925 HOURS (LOCAL TIME) TODAY (MONDAY).

'RESPONSE TO UK CAMPAIGN ON REFUGEES FAVOURABLE'

* * * * * *

BRITAIN IS CONDUCTING A VIGOROUS DIPLOMATIC CAMPAIGN TO PERSUADE OTHER COUNTRIES TO FOLLOW ITS EXAMPLE IN SOLVING THE VIETNAMESE REFUGEE PROBLEM IN HONG KONG, THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS, MR TIMOTHY RENTON, SAID TODAY (MONDAY).

SPEAKING TO REPORTERS AFTER TOURING THE BOWRING CLOSED CENTRE IN TUEN MUN, MR RENTON SAID THERE HAD ALREADY BEEN SOME FAVOURABLE REACTIONS FROM OTHER COUNTRIES FOLLOWING BRITAIN'S ANNOUNCEMENT THAT IT WOULD TAKE IN 500 MORE VIETNAMESE REFUGEES.

+WE HAVE AN INDICATION ALREADY FROM THE AUSTRALIANS THAT THEY WILL TAKE A SUBSTANTIALLY GREATER NUMBER. WE HAVE SOME FAVOURABLE INDICATIONS FROM COUNTRIES AT THE MOMENT, SUCH AS SCANDINAVIA,+ HE SAID.

MR RENTON SAID IT WAS DIFFICULT TO SAY NOW HOW MANY VIETNAMESE REFUGEES WOULD BE ACCEPTED FOR RESETTLEMENT BY OTHER COUNTRIES. +AFTER ALL, WE ONLY ANNOUNCED OUR DECISION IN THE LAST WEEK OF SEPTEMBER AND WE ARE GOING TO CONTINUE VERY HARD WITH THE PROGRAMME,+ HE SAID.

+WE HAVE TAKEN A POSITIVE INITIATIVE IN THE LAST FEW WEEKS OF ACCEPTING ANOTHER 500 OURSELVES AND WE ARE BUILDING ON THAT VERY MUCH TO PERSUADE OTHER COUNTRIES THAT THEY SHOULD TAKE MORE TOO,+ MR RENTON SAID.

NOTING THAT BRITAIN HAD ALREADY TAKEN IN A GREAT NUMBER OF VIETNAMESE REFUGEES, MR RENTON SAID THE EXTRA 500 WAS A VERY POSITIVE LEAD WHICH WAS VERY MUCH WELCOMED BY THE UNHCR AND THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY.