TNAG-1420-FCO40-1903-Hong-Kong-Parliamentary-Sub-Committee-on-Race-Relations-and--1985 — Page 92

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INFO ROUTINE OSLO, HONG KONG.

YOUR TELNO 507 TO BONN. VIETNAMESE REFUGEES IN HONG KONG

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1. I CALLED TODAY ON ANITA GRADIN, MINISTER FOR IMMIGRATION, AND LEFT A SPEAKING NOTE OUTLINING OUR REQUEST FOR SWEDEN TO ACCEPT FURTHER VIETNAMESE REFUGEES CURRENTLY IN HONG KONG.

2. MRS GRADIN SAID THAT SWEDEN WAS SEVERELY PRESSED BY THE CURRENT LARGE NUMBERS OF SPONTANENOUS ASYLUM SEEKERS WHO WERE COMING TO SWEDEN. GIVEN THE DEMANDS THESE MADE ON RESOURCES AND THE EFFECTS ON PUBLIC OPINION, IT WOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE TO MAKE ANY SPECIAL PROVISION FOR THE VIENAMESE OUTSIDE THE FRAMEWORK OF SWEDEN'S REFUGEE QUOTA.

3. HOWEVER, THE MINISTER DID NOT RULE OUT THE POSSIBILITY THAT SOME VIETNAMESE COULD BE TAKEN WITHIN THE QUOTA WHICH STANDS AT 1,250 FOR 1985-6. BUT SUCH A DECISION COULD ONLY BE TAKEN AFTER A FORMAL APPROACH FROM THE UNHCR: SWEDEN ALLOCATED THEIR QUOTA PLACES ACCORDING TO RECOMMENDATIONS ON PRIORITIES FROM THE UNHCR AND CURRENTLY IT WAS REFUGEES FROM CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN AMERICA, SOUTH WEST ASIA AND EUROPEAN REFUGEE CAMPS WHICH WERE AT THE HEAD OF THE LIST.

4. WE HAVE SUBSEQUENTLY BEEN TOLD THAT THE UNHCR REPRESENTATIVE HERE HAS ALREADY APPROACHED THE SWEDISH AUTHORITIES ON THIS SUBJECT. BUT THIS APPROACH WAS MADE IN VERY GENERAL TERMS AND WITHOUT STRONG ARGUMENTS FOR SPECIAL TREATMENT: THE SWEDES WOULD NEED A CONCRETE PROPOSAL OF NUMBERS AND POSSIBLY EVEN NAMES FROM THE UNHCR BEFORE THEY COULD DECIDE WHETHER OR NOT TO AMEND THEIR CURRENT PRIORITIES FOR THE QUOTA.

5. A FURTHER APPROACH TO THE UNHCR WOULD SEEM TO BE NECESSARY IF SWEDEN IS TO BE BROUGHT ON BOARD.

PARSONS

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LADY YOUNG PS| MR REN TON PS | PUS

SIR W. HARDING

DR WILSON.

+KK 243/2

RECEIVED IN REGISTRY

03 OCT 1985

DESK OFFICER

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MR RAWSTHORNE

LUNAR nse

REGISTRY

Action Taken

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