TNAG-1421-FCO40-1904-Hong-Kong-Parliamentary-Sub-Committee-on-Race-Relations-and--1985 — Page 56

FCO40 Hong Kong Department Records 聯邦事務部香港部檔案 All

ZCZC

ко RECEIVED IN REGISTRY

12 NOV 1975

DESK OFFIC INDIA

WELNAN 4089 ORWRAN 3230

CONFIDENTAL

TT FCOLN.

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TT HANOT

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TT BANGK

FM WASHI TO FCOLN

251525Z OCT

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FM WASHINGTON

TO TELELETTER FOO

TELELETTER NFR

OF 251625Z OCTOBER 85

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requested.

ON-28 10

AND TO TELELETTER UKMIS GENEVA, HONG KONG (FOR WOODHOUSE), HANDI,

KUALA LUMPUR, JAKARTA, BANGKOK

FROM 3 J GOMERSALL ESQ, WASHINGTON

TO MISS O WALKER, HONG KONG DEPARTMENT. FCO

VIETNAMESE REFUGEES IN HONG KONG

1. IT HAS NOW RECOME PUBLIC THAT AMBASSADOR DOUGLAS WILL LEAVE THE ADMINISTRATION ON 31 OCTOPER. IT IS NOT CERTAIN WHETHER THE OFFICE OF SPECIAL COORDINATOR FOR REFUGEES (WHICH WAS ESTABLISHED IN LAY IN 1979) WILL BE PERPETUATED. THE DEPARTURE OF DOUGLAS, WHICH HAS BEEN RUMOURED FOR SOME TIME, IS SAID TO HAVE BEEN LONG SOUGHT BY SHULTZ, AND, OF COURSE, GREATLY PLEASES THE STATE DEPARTMENT BUREAU OF REFUGEE AFFAIRS, WHOSE IMPORTANCE INCREASES COMMENSURATELY.

2. VIRTUALLY AT THE SAME TIME, SHULTZ HAS ESTABLISHED A QUOTE INDO-CHINESE REFUGEE PANEL UNQUOTE UNDER THE CHAIRMANSHIP OF FORMER GOVERNOR RAY OF IOWA (DETAILS BY BAG) TO QUOTE REVIEW THE INDO-CHINESE REFUGEE SITUATION AND TO MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS ON NECESSARY CHANGES IN US POLICY UNQUOTE. THIS PANEL WILL MAKE A FIRST VISIT TO SOUTH EAST ASIA BETWEEN 3 AND 25 NOVEMBER. THEY WILL VISIT THAILAND, HAMOI, VIENTIANE, MALAYSIA, INDONESIA, AND SINGAPORE. REGRETTABLY, HONG KONG IS NOT INCLUDED IN THEIR ITINERARY. WE HAVE RENARKED UPON THIS OMISSION TO THE RAPPORTEUR OF THE PANEL, WHO ASSURED US THAT THE PROBLEMS OF HONG KONG, AND IN PARTICULAR HMC'S INITIATIVE IN RESPONSE TO THE SCORR! REPORT WOULD BE BROUGHT TO THE ATTENTION OF THE PANEL. FOR GOOD MEASURE, THE AMBASSADOR WILL BE WRITING TO GOVERNOR RAY ABOUT HONO KONG AND WILL SUGGEST THAT THE PANEL VISIT HONG KONG AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. IT REMAINS TO BE SEEN WHAT INFLUENCE THE PANEL WILL HAVE. WE UNDERSTAND THAT ITS ESTABLISHMENT WAS A PERSONAL INITIATIVE OF THE NEW DEPUTY SECRETARY OF STATE, JOHN WHITEHEAD, WHO, AS A FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE INTERNATIONAL RESCUE COMMITTEE, BELIEVED THAT A NEW LOOK AT POLICY TOWARDS THE AREA WAS REQUIRED. THE ELEMENTS OF THIS QUOTE NEW LOOK UNQUOTE INCLUDE, WE UNDERSTAND, THE IDEA OF TAKING MORE SOUTH EAST ASIANS INTO THE US UNDER IMMIGRATION PROCEDURES, AND RE-EXAMINING REFUGEE CATEGORIES TO CATER MORE FOR THE SO-CALLED ECONOMIC MIGRANTS (COMMENT. BOTH IDEAS SEEM LIKELY TO RUN INTO RESISTANCE).

THE REFUGEE RESETTLEMENT TOTALS FOR FY1986 HAVE NOW BEEN FINALISED BY PRESIDENTIAL ORDER. THE REVISED TOTALS ARE 67,000 OVERALL, WITH 37,000 AS THE SUP-TOTAL FOR SOUTH EAST ASIAN COUNTRIES OF FIRST ASYLUM. THE DECREASE OF 3,000 IS LESS THAN SOME MEMBERS OF CONGRESS ARGUED FOR. THE BUDGET FOR FY 1936 HAS

HOWEVER STILL NOT BEEN ESTABLISHED.

4. AS WE TOLD WOODHOUSE (HONG KONG GOVERNMENT) HERE YESTERDAY,

WE WILL CONTINUE TO PROD THE AMERICANS, IN ALL THEIR MANIFESTATIONS,

TO PROVIDE A CONCRETE RESPONSE TO HMG'S INITIATIVE ON HONG KONG.

IN THIS CONNECTION, IT WOULD RE USEFUL TO HAVE, AS SOON AS IS CONVENIENT, A CONSOLIDATED ACCOUNT OF THE COMMITMENTS ALREADY RECEIVED FROM OTHER GOVERNMENTS.

5. HKD PLEASE PASS TO SEAD, NAD AND UND.

SIGNED S J GOMERSALL

YYYY

ORWBAN 3230

NNNN

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