TNAG-1424-FCO40-1907-Vietnamese-refugees-in-Hong-Kong-general-1985 — Page 126

THE BRITISH REFUGEE COUNCIL

Chairman: SIR ARTHUR PETERSON, KCB, MVO.

Vice Chairmen:

SIR LESLIE KIRKLEY, CBE

KENNETH LEE

BONDWAY HOUSE,

3/9, BONDWAY, LONDON, SW8 1SJ.

Honorary Treasurers: A. H. CHAPMAN, FCA H. A. SHAW, OBE

Telephone: 01-582 6922

Cables: BREFCON, LONDON, SW8.

Director: MARTIN BARBER, Ph. D.

His Excellency The honourabie William L Young New Zealand high Conmission

New Zealand House

Haymarket

London SKIY 4TC

7 February 1965

7

Dear High Commissioner

VIETNAMESE REFUGEES IN HONG KONG

The British Refugee Council, of whose Asia Committee I am Chairman, has been campaigning on behalf of Vietnamese refugees in Hong Kong, both to improve the conditions in which they live and to urge the british Government to accept more Vietnamese refugees for resettlement in the United Kingdom than it is at present. The bulletin, "Behind Barbed Wire", which is enclosed, will give you a more detailed notion of the lines we have been pursuing.

Informal contacts that I have made with representatives of your country in Hong Kong suggest that as a country that has already accepted a large number of Vietnamese refugees, you are reluctant to accept more refugees from Hong Kong whilst the British Government, whose area of responsibility it undoubtedly is, is presently taking so few.

It is our belief, which we have stated to the British Government, that were the United Kingdom to take a lead in resettling Vietnamese refugees from Hong Kong, many of whom have now been there for a considerable time, then other countries of resettlemer.t, including yours, would be more prepared to help share the burden..

We would be very interested to hear from you a statement of how the British Government's policy towards the resettlement of Vietnamese refugees from hong Kong affects your own. In particular, it would greatly help us, and consequently the refugees as well, if you wer were able to supply us with a written assurance that were the United Kingdon to increase the number of refugees it accepted for resettlement from Hong kong, then your country would be more inclined also to accept greater numbers.

Yours sincerely

Lord Ennals

Chairman

Asia Committee

Registered under the Charities Act 1960 No. 283993

The British Refugee Council incorporates the British Council for Aid to Refugees and the Standing Conference on Refugees