TNAG-1422-FCO40-1905-Hong-Kong-Parliamentary-Sub-Committee-on-Race-Relations-and--1986 — Page 156

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YOUR TELNO 485 AND HONG KONG TELNO 2458 TO FC0:

VIETNAMESE REFUGEES

1. AS YOU ARE AWARE, THE PUS RAISED THE QUESTION OF VIETNAMESE REFUGEES IN HONG KONG DURING HIS VISIT HERE

IN JULY THIS YEAR. I HAVE ALSO SPOKEN TWICE TO THE MFA ABOUT IT (MY TELS 504 AND 684). IT IS DISINGENIOUS OF JAPANESE OFFICIALS TO PROTEST IGNORANCE OF THE SIZE OR

SERIOUSNESS OF THE PROBLEM.

2. FIRST SECRETARY (CHANCERY) SPOKE ON 20 NOVEMBER TO HOMIMURA, DIRECTOR OF REFUGEES DIVISION, MFA, TO FOLLOW UP HIS MEETING WITH WOODHOUSE IN GENEVA ON 15 OCTOBER.

WILTON REMINDED HORIMURA, OF OUR EARLIER REPRESENTATIONS

AND ENCOURAGED THE JAPANESE GOVERNMENT TO HELP HONG KONG

OVERCOME THE REFUGEE PROBLEM.

3. HORIMURA SAID THE JAPANESE WERE CONSCIOUS OF THE DIFFICULTIES

WHICH THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT FACED, AND WERE DOING WHAT THEY COULD TO RELIEVE SOME OF THE PRESSURE ON HONG KONG. ALTHOUGH

JAPANESE EFFORTS WERE MODEST COMPARED WITH UK AND HONG KONG

RESETTLEMENT PROGRAMMES, THE JAPANESE WERE SLOWLY BUT STEADILY

INCREASING THE NUMBERS OF REFUGEES ACCEPTED FOR RESETTLEMENT

FROM HONG KONG. LAST YEAR THEY HAD TAKEN 34 VIETNAMESE REFUGEES, THIS YEAR THEY EXPECTED TO TAKE 54.

4. THEY WERE NOW CONSIDERING HOW THEY MIGHT HELP FURTHER.

AS A FIRST STEP THEY WERE CONSIDERING ADVANCING THEIR NEXT

MISSION. IT MIGHT NOW TRAVEL TO HONG KONG BEFORE THE END OF

THIS YEAR AND WOULD PROBABLY INTERVIEW MORE REFUGEES THAN

PAST MISSIONS.

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HKIC 243 12 RECEIVED IN REGISTRY 27 NOV 1985

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