CONFIDENTIAL
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
London SW1A 2AH
K J Woodhouse Esq
Security Branch
Government Secretariat HONG KONG
Den Vien
Ка
133
G
Lead ca
ulcs
l
Telephone 01-
Mr Trevan, UND
233 4439
M
Court SEAD
Your reference
HKK 243
Our reference
-Y
1 SEP 1986
Date
28 August 1986
Action Taken
UNHCR EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE (EXCOM) MEETING: OCTOBER 1986: RESETTLEMENT OF VIETNAMESE REFUGEES IN HONG KONG
1.
You will wish to see a copy of the attached letter from Delia Walker summarising her recent discussion with Messrs Hansson and Cooper of UNHCR on this subject.
The letter is a useful indication of UNHCR views at working level, given:
2.
(a) the High Commissioner's
Hong Kong and
forthcoming visit to
(b) the need for us to prepare briefing for the UK
delegation to ExComin October.
the latter we shall On Hong Kong aspects regarding course be consulting you in due course.
of
3. Largely in preparation for (b) it would be useful to have your comments on a number of points raised by UNHCR in discussion with Delia. (I say this partly under the impression that some of the points made by UNHCR may
incorrect.) The key points seem actually be follows:
to
be
as
is
fears (a) UNHCR
that Hong Kong will soon be left with around 4,000 unresettlable North Vietnamese (a fear which I believe you have long shared). But Robert Cooper speaks as if the US tightening
its ruls on resettling North Vietnamese, whereas my impression has been that the US has always been very resistant to taking Northerners (except ethnic Chinese), in contrast to other resettlement countries who show less resistance to doing so. Have you any indication that the Americans (or any of the others) are changing their position on Northerners?
CONFIDENTIAL
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Private notes are available after approval.