CONFIDENTIAL
7:6. THE DANISH REPRESENTATIVE EXPLAINED THAT HIS GOVERNMENT WAS
SYMPATHETIC TOWARDS THE WORLD WIDE REFUGEE PROBLEM AS DEMOSTRATED BYT ITS LIBERALISATION OF ITS REFUGEE LEGISLATION ABOUT A YEAR AGO. BUT IT HAD ENCOUNTERED SOME PROBLEMS IN RESETTLING REFUGEES IN SCATTERED PLACES AND THERE HAD REEN TROUBLE IN THE REFUGEE CENTRES DURING THE SUMMER OF THIS YEAR. AS DENMARK HAD ACCEPTED A LARGE NUMBER OF IRANIAN ASYLUM-SEEKERS, THERE WAS A LIMIT TO THE NUMBER OF REFUGEES THEY COULD NOW TAKE. HE CONCEDED THAT THE VIETNAMESE PEFUGEES WHO HAD BEEN RESETTLED IN DEMARK HAD NEVER CAUSED ANY PROBLEMS. HE PROMISED TO RELAY OUR PLEA FOR DENMARK TO TAKE MORE FROM HONG KONG BACK TO HIS GOVERNMENT WITH A RECOMMENDATION THAT THE REQUEST BE CONSIDERED FAVOURABLY.
7. THE FINNISH REPRESENTATIVE WAS MOVED BY THE WAY UK AND OTHER COUNTRIES HAD HELPED HONG KONG TO REDUCE ITS REFUGEE POPULATION. SHE SAID FINLAND HAD STARTED TO TAKE SOME REFUGEES FROM HONG KONG TWO YEARS AGO AND IT WOULD CERTAINLY CONTINUE TO DO ITS BEST PARTICULARLY IN RESPECT OF HANDICAPPED CASES. SHE UNDERTOOK TO PUT FORWARD OUR REQUEST TO TAKE MORE FROM HONG KONG TO HER GOVERNMENT TOGETHER WITH HER FAVOURABLE RECOMMENDATION.
8. THE SWISS REPRESENTATIVE SAID THAT HIS GOVERNMENT HAD ALWAYS BEEN OPEN-MINDED AND SYMPATHETIC TOWARDS REFUGEES AND HAD ACCEPTED QUITE A NUMBER OF VIETNAMESE REFUGEES FOR RESETTLEMENT IN THE PAST FEW YEARS. RECENTLY SWITZERLAND HAD BEEN AFFECTED BY THE ARRIVAL OF LARGE NUMBERS OF REFUGEES AND IMMIGRANTS FROM SRI LANKA, AS A RESULT OF WHICH PUBLIC OPINION FAVOURED RESTRICTING THE ADMISSION OF REFUGEES. NEVERTHELESS, THERE WOULD NOT RE MUCH DIFFICULTY IN SWITZERLAND ACCEPTING FAMILY REUNION CASES AND SPECIAL CASES, SUCH AS PHYSICALLY HANDICAPPED PERSONS, COULD STILL BE CONSIDERED ON A CASE-BY-CASE BASIS. HE UNDERTOOK TO CONVEY HONG KONG'S SPECIAL APPEAL TO HIS GOVERNMENT FOR SYMPATHETIC
CONSIDERATION.
9. THE NORWEGIANS ALSO EXPRESSED THEIR SYMPATHY WITH HONG KONG OVER THE VIETNAMESE REFUGEE PROBLEM BUT EXPLAINED THAT THEY WERE ALSO TROUBLED BY PROBLEMS OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION AND ASYLUM-SEEKERS (E.G. IRANIANS). NORWAY HAD BEEN DOING ITS PART TO HELP HONG KONG IN RECENT YEARS AND WOULD CONTINUE TO DO SO AS FAR AS POSSIBLE. THE REPRESENTATIVES MENTIONED THAT THEY HAD A SMALL QUOTA FOR REFUGEES FROM THIS REGION AND THEY WOULD TRY THEIR BEST TO TAKE AS MANY AS THEY COULD FROM HONG KONG. THE REPRESENTATIVES PROMISED TO CONVEY HONG KONG'S SPECIAL PLEA TO THEIR GOVERNMENT.
YOUDE
LIMITED
SEAD
UND
PRU
HKD
SIR. W. HARDING
MR. WILSON
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CONFIDENTIAL
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