TNAG-1421-FCO40-1904-Hong-Kong-Parliamentary-Sub-Committee-on-Race-Relations-and--1985 — Page 97

ZCZC

WALNAN 4083 ORWBAN 3230

CONFIDENTIAL

TT FOOLN

TT GEMIS

TT HOKON

TT HANOI

TT KULUM

TT BANGK

FM WASHI TO FCOLN

251525Z OCT

GRS 550

CONFIDENTIAL

लगा

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Picopy

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In Nash TEAD Ihr bildask UND My Raven NAD

IKK 24

RECEIVED IN REGISTRY

29 OCT 1985

FM WASHINGTON

TO TELELETTER FCO

DESK OFFICEH

INDEX

PA

REGISTRY Action Incen

TELELETTER NFR

OF 251525Z OCTOBER

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

KUALA LUMPUR, JAKARTA, BANGKOK

FROM S J GOMERSALL ESQ, WASHINGTON

TO MISS O WALKER, HONG KONG DEPARTMENT, FCO

VIETNAMESE REFUGEES 13 HONG KONG

1. IT HAS NOW BECOME PUBLIC THAT AMBASSADOR DOUGLAS WILL LEAVE THE ADMINISTRATION ON 31 OCTOBER. IT IS NOT CERTAIN WHETHER THE OFFICE OF SPECIAL COORDINATOR FOR REFUGEES (WHICH WAS ESTABLISHED IN LAW 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 RAG) 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, HANOI, VIENTIANE, MALAYSIA, INDONESIA, AND SINGAPORE. REGRETTABLY, HONG KONG IS NOT INCLUDED IN THEIR ITINERARY. WE HAVE REMARKED UPON THIS OMISSION TO THE RAPPORTEUR OF THE PANEL, WHO ASSURED US THAT THE PROBLEMS OF HONG KONG, AND IN PARTICULAR HMG'S INITIATIVE IN RESPONSE TO THE SCORRI REPORT WOULD BE BROUGHT TO THE ATTENTION OF THE PANEL. FOR GOOD MEASURE, THE AMBASSADOR WILL BE WRITING TO GOVERNOR RAY ABOUT HONG KONG AND WILL SUCCEST THAT THE PAYEL 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, RELIEVED 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).

3. THE REFUGEE RESETTLEMENT TOTALS FOR FY1986 HAVE NOW REEN FINALISED BY PRESIDENTIAL ORDER. THE REVISED TOTALS ARE 67,000 OVERALL, WITH 37,000 AS THE SUR-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 1986 HAS HOWEVER STILL NOT REEN ESTABLISHED.

4.

AS WE TOLD WOODHOUSE (HONG KONG GOVERNMENT) HERE YESTERDAY, WE WILL CONTINUE TO PROD THE AMERICANG, IN ALL THEIR MANIFESTATIONS,

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

IN THIS CONNECTION, IT WOULD BE 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, MAD AND UND.

SIGNED S J GOMERSALL

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