CONFIDENTIAL
FM BRUSSELS
TO ROUTINE FCO
TELNO 321
OF 171638Z OCT 85
CONFIDENTIAL
298
ра
på score
INFO SAVING BONN, PARIS, COPENHAGEN, THE HAGUE, ROME DUBLIN, ATHENS, LUXEMBOURG, BERNE, VIENNA, OSLO, STOCKHOLM, MADRID, LISBON, HELSINKI, UKMIS GENEVA, HONG KONG, UKREP BRUSSELS,
257
MY TELNO 303:
VIETNAMESE REFUGEES IN HONG KONG
1.
THE COUNSELLOR ACCOMPANIED WOODHOUSE AND FRENCH OF THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT ON A CALL ON 17 OCTOBER ON THE HEAD OF THE ASIAN DEPARTMENT IN THE BELGIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY, TO FOLLOW UP MY DEMARCHE TO THE POLITICAL DIRECTOR, BEYENS SAID THE BELGIANS HAD GIVEN SYMPATHETIC CONSIDERATION TO MY APPROACH. BUT AT PRESENT THERE WAS NO MONEY TO FINANCE MORE REFUGEES FROM HONG KONG. MOREOVER THE LARGE IMMIGRANT POPULATION IN BELGIUM, AT A TIME OF HIGH UNEMPLOYMENT, ALREADY PRESENTED SERIOUS POLITICAL AND SOCIAL PROBLEMS : THE MINISTRY OF JUSTICE WAS MOST RELUCTANT TO DO ANYTHING WHICH WOULD AGGRAVATE THESE PROBLEMS. ALTHOUGH IT WAS NOT YET KNOWN WHETHER THE JUSTICE PORTFOLIO WOULD CHANGE WHEN MARTENS FORMED HIS NEW GOVERNMENT FOLLOWING THE ELECTIONS ON 13 OCTOBER, BEYENS THOUGHT IT VIRTUALLY CERTAIN THAT THERE WOULD BE NO CHANGE OF POLICY. THE BELGIANS WOULD, HOWEVER, BE WILLING TO TAKE CLOSE RELATIVES OF VIETNAMESE REFUGEES ALREADY IN BELGIUM.
2.
WOODHOUSE SAID THAT THERE WERE SOME 30 REFUGEES IN HONG KONG WHO WERE, BY THE BELGIAN CRITERIA, CLOSE FAMILY OF VIETNAMESE LIVING IN BELGIUM. IF THE BELGIANS TOOK THESE PEOPLE AND PERHAPS A FEW MORE AS A GESTURE OF SOLIDARITY WITH THE UK AND OTHER COUNTRIES WHICH HAD AGREED TO TAKE AN ADDITIONAL QUOTA, THIS WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED AND WOULD HAVE A HELPFUL KNOWCK-ON EFFECT ON THE ATTITUDE OF OTHER RECEIVING COUNTRIES. BEYENS TOOK CAREFUL NOTE OF THE ARGUMENTS AND SAID THAT THE FOREIGN MINISTRY WOULD CERTAINLY DO ALL IT COULD TO ENSURE THAT THEY WERE GIVEN DUE WEIGHT BY THE OTHER
MINISTRIES CONCERNED.
PETRIE
YYYY
FCO PLEASE PASS ALL SAVING ADDRESSEES
нкк 24 312
RECEIVED IN REGISTRY
18 OCT 1985
SEAD
HKD
UND
FED
BOAT PEOPLE
LIMITED
PS/LADY YOUNG PS/MR RENTON PS/PUS
MR GOODALL
NEWS D MAED PS
MR O'NEILL
MR WILSON
DESK OFFICER
INDEX
PA
REGISTRY
Action Taken
ADDITIONAL DISTRIBUTION
BOAT PEOPLE
SIR W HARDING
CONFIDENTIAL
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