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CONFIDENTIAL
12. BELGIUM BOTH BEYENS AND VERHILLE (TELNO HKGO 4343/LM827 FROM WOODHOUSE IN LONDON) WERE QUITE FIRM THAT A QUOTA FOR HONG KONG WAS OUT OF THE QUESTION. THEY DID AGREE TO CONSIDER FAMILY REUNION CASES. COMMENT WE HOPE TO OBTAIN SPECIFIC LISTS FROM THE UNHCR SOON AND DOUBT WHETHER THE BELGIANS CAN DO MUCH MORE THAN THAT.
13. AUSTRAL NA THE INCREASE FROM 400 TO 600 HAS TAKEN EFFECT WE UNDERSTAND FROM THE AUSTRALIANS HERE. THERE IS NO (NO) CHANGE IN CRITERIA AND THE QUOTA LASTS UNTIL MID-86. COMMENT WE HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO DISCOVER EXACTLY HOW AND WHEN THE #NCREASE TO 800 WOULD BE EFFECTED. WE PRESUME THAT AS THE REGIONAL TAKE REMAINS FIXED AT 6000, THE INCREASE TO 800 WILL ONLY TRANSPIRE OF THERE IS ANYTHING LEFT OVER AT THE END OF THE YEAR. THERE WAS A SURPLUS LAST YEAR AND WE WERE DISAPPOINTED THAT THE AUSTRAL MAN COMMISSION HERE DID NOT RESPOND TO OUR APPEALS TO RE-DIRECT IT TO HONG KONG. WE ALSO WERE A LITTLE CONCERNED TO FIND THAT WHEN THE MINISTER FOR MMIGRATION AND ETHNIC AFFAIRS WAS HERE HE IMPLIED THAT THE COMMISSION HERE WAS SEEKING TO REDUCE THE OFFTAKE FROM HONG KONG. THIS MAY NOT (NOT) BE CORRECT, BUT WE FEEL THAT APPROACHES IN CANBERRA ARE LIKELY TO BE MORE SUCCESSFUL THAN HERE, DESPITE THE FACT THAT WE HAVE EXCELLENT RELATIONS WITH THE AUSTRAL HANS.
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14. U.S.A. THERE HAS BEEN NO (NO) FORMAL REACTION FROM THE AMERICANS TO HMG'S INITIATIVE. WE FEEL THAT A DECISION WILL AWANT GOVERNOR RAY'S PANEL REPORT. COMMENT WE HAVE RECEIVED STRONG SUPPORT FROM THE AMERICANS FOR OUR OPEN CENTRE RESETTLEMENT PROPOSALS. THEY HAVE TAKEN NEARLY THREE TIMES THE NUMBER THEY COMMITTED TO, ALTHOUGH THIS WAS WITHIN THEIR QUOTA. BECAUSE THE OFFTAKE TO THE RPC WAS TEMPORARILY HALTED, BECAUSE THE PHILIPPINES REFUSED VSAS, THE MONTHLY FIGURES HAVE BEEN DISTORTED. HOWEVER, THERE IS AN INDICATION THAT BETWEEN 50 AND 100 EXTRA (EXTRA) PLACES HAVE BEEN ALLOCATED AND WILL NOT (NOT) BE CLAWED BACK. ALSO, WE FEEL THAT THE AMERICANS ARE VERY INTERESTED IN:
(A) THE FURTHER LIMITED NUMBER GOING TO UK SEMICOLON AND (B) THE POSSIBILITY OF A RASRO TRANSIT CENTRE IN HONG KONG.
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15. NEW ZEALAND WELLINGTON HAS SAID (TELNO 1626 FROM FCO AND TELNO 311 FROM WELLINGTON) THAT HONG KONG WILL RECEIVE TEN PLACES AS A ONE-OFF GESTURE. COMMENT - THE NEW ZEALAND COMMISSIONER HERE IS PUSHING FOR MORE THAN THIS SINGLE GESTURE. WE FEEL THAT HONG KONG DESERVES A BETTER SHARE OF THE NEW ZEALAND QUOTA. ONCE THE TEN HAVE LEFT IN MARCH 86, WE FEEL THAT A FURTHER APPROACH SHOULD BE MADE.
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