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THE REGION. YOU SHOULD ALSO POINT OUT TO THE AMERICANS THAT NO
PUBLICITY WILL BE INITIATED BY HKG (ALTHOUGH THE DECISION WILL OF COURSE BECOME PUBLIC) IN AN EFFORT TO REDUCE THE RISK OF DRAWING
MORE REFUGEES OUT OF VIETNAM TO HONG KONG.
3.
HONG
ON THE RASRO TRANSIT CENTRE, YOU SHOULD SAY THAT HONG KONG'S AGREEMENT TO ITS ESTABLISHMENT REPRESENTS A SUBSTANTIVE
EFFORT TO EASE THE PROBLEMS FACED BY RASRO PARTICIPANTS IN
RESETTLING SHIP RESCUE CASES WITHIN THE 90-DAY DEADLINE.
KONG HAS AGREED TO ESTABLISH THE CENTRE DESPITE THE FACT THAT BY DOING SO IT WILL, OF COURSE, HAVE TO ACCOMMODATE MORE REFUGEES THAN AT PRESENT. BOTH WE AND HONG KONG RECOGNISE THE WESTERN,
AND PARTICULAR US, INTEREST IN THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A TRANSIT CENTRE. IN OCTOBER VAN EGMOND PRESSED WOODHOUSE (IN GENEVA) AND FCO (IN LONDON) ON THE QUESTION OF ESTABLISHING A CENTRE IN HONG KONG AND INDICATED IN GENEVA THAT THE US MIGHT BE PREPARED TO OFFER RESETTLEMENT PLACES TO HONG KONG FOR EVERY TRANSITEE. YOU
SHOULD REFER TO THESE DISCUSSIONS AND ASK WHETHER THE AMERICANS
CAN NOW RESPOND TO HONG KONG'S INITIATIVE BY OFFERING FURTHER
PLACES TO HONG KONG ON THIS BASIS.
4.
YOU SHOULD REITERATE OUR AND HONG KONG'S GRATITUDE FOR
THE IMPORTANT AND CONTINUING AMERICAN CONTRIBUTION TO RESOLVING
HONG KONG'S REFUGEE PROBLEM, AND FOR THEIR WILLINGNESS TO CONSIDER MAINTAINING THEIR CURRENT OFFTAKE FOR FY86. ALTHOUGH WE RECOGNISE THE BUDGETARY AND POLITICAL FACTORS WHICH MIGHT LIMIT INCREASED US RESETTLEMENT FROM HONG KONG, WE HOPE THAT THE RAY PANEL WILL RESPOND TO THE EFFORTS BEING MADE IN HONG KONG AND UK BY RECOMMENDING A HIGHER US OFFTAKE FOR FY86. BESIDES HELPING HONG KONG, THIS COULD HAVE A FAVOURABLE IMPACT ON THE DELIBERATIONS OF OTHER RESETTLEMENT COUNTRIES WHICH ARE LIKELY TO
FOLLOW A FAVOURABLE AMERICAN EXAMPLE.
THE FOLLOWING ARE DEFENSIVE POINTS:
5.
(A)
(B)
ARRIVALS IN UK IN THE POST-SCORRI EXERCISE: 78 AS AT
END-JANUARY, THEREAFTER 40 MONTHLY EXPECTED. POSSIBILITY OF FURTHER UK OFFTAKE: TOO EARLY TO SAY. WILL DECIDE WHETHER TO ACCEPT A FURTHER LIMITED NUMBER OF VIETNAMESE REFUGEES FROM HONG KONG, IN ADDITION TO THE
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