TNAG-1421-FCO40-1904-Hong-Kong-Parliamentary-Sub-Committee-on-Race-Relations-and--1985 — Page 167

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Action Taken

YOUR TELNO 112: VIETNAMESE REFUGEES IN HONG KONG

KEN WOODHOUSE, A HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL WHO HAS

BEEN ATTENDING THE RECENT EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING OF UNHCR

IN GENEVA AS A MEMBER OF THE UK DELEGATION, HAS ASKED US TO PAS

TO YOU THE FOLLOWING ACCOUNT OF HIS DISCUSSION WITH THE

AUSTRIAN REPRESENTATIVE:

BEGINS

I MET DR ERICH KUSSBACK FROM THE AUSTRIAN FOREIGN

MINISTRY ON 11 OCTOBER.

HE SAID THAT HE WAS SYMPATHETIC TO HONG KONG'S POSITION,

BUT THIS WAS A MATTER FOR THE MINISTER OF THE INTERIOR. HE WOULD

HAND MY SPEAKING NOTE TO HIM ON HIS RETURN TO VIENNA. HOWEVER,

AUSTRIA'S PRESSING REFUGEE PROBLEMS FROM EASTERN EUROPE MEANT

THAT HE WAS NOT OPTIMISTIC ABOUT A FAVOURABLE RESPONSE.

I SAID THAT I UNDERSTOOD AUSTRIA'S DIFFICULTIES BUT WOULD

BE GRATEFUL IF HE WOULD ASK THE MINISTER OF THE INTERIOR TO

CONSIDER TAKING THE 21 FAMILY REUNION CASES IN HONG KONG WITH

CLOSE RELATIVES IN AUSTRIA. HE SAID THAT THIS WAS PROBABLY A

REALISTIC PROPOSAL AND HE WOULD RECOMMEND THAT AUSTRIA ACCEPT

THESE 21 IN RESPONSE TO THE UK INITIATIVE.

I THINK THAT WE SHOULD CONTINUE TO PRESS GENTLY FOR THESE

FAMILY REUNION CASES. WE COULD KEEP THE PRESSURE ON IN HONG KONG

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