TNAG-1915-FCO40-2719-Hong-Kong-resettlement-of-Vietnamese-refugees-in-third-count-1989 — Page 19

CONFIDENTIAL

HKB

243/28

CONFIDENTIAL

FM FCO

TO IMMEDIATE BANGKOK

TELNO 296

OF 291825Z JUNE 89

û DIST.

INFO IMMEDIATE UKMIS GENEVA, KUALA LUMPUR, HANOI, SINGAPORE INFO IMMEDIATE MANILA, JAKARTA, BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

30

061062

MDHOAN 4124

YOUR TELNOS 422 AND 432 AND HONG KONG TELNO 2128 : VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE : 3 JULY BANGKOK MEETING

1.

ATTENDANCE. REGRET THAT WRENCH WILL NOT BE ATTENDING THE BANGKOK MEETING. HIS PRIME TASK IS TO ENSURE THAT THE CRITERIA FOR RESETTLEMENT ON WHICH HE IS NOW WORKING WILL BE TAILORED TO THE CASELOAD NOW IN HONG KONG. FOR THIS REASON HE DOES NOT WISH TO CUT SHORT HIS TIME IN HONG KONG, NOR DOES HE THINK IT POSSIBLE TO REDUCE HIS TIME IN THE PHILIPPINES IF HE IS TO TRAVEL TO BATAAN. IN THE ABSENCE OF OTHER REPRESENTATION FROM CAPITALS WE DO NOT THINK WRENCH'S INABILITY TO ATTEND WILL DETRACT FROM OUR COMMITMENT TO THE CPA.

WE ACCEPT YOUR RECOMMENDATION THAT HONG KONG SHOULD NOT (NOT)

SEND A REPRESENTATIVE.

2=

WE ENVISAGE THAT THERE WILL BE BOTH HOME OFFICE

AND HONG KONG REPRESENTATION AT THE SUBSEQUENT RESETTLEMENT

MEETING.

3. GRATEFUL IF YOU COULD FAX A COPY OF THE AGENDA TO HONG KONG

FOR THE RECORD.

4.

A.

ON THE POINTS IN FIRST AND THIRD TUR :

UK OFF TAKE OF 2,000. AS THINGS STAND WE WOULD WANT OUR 2,000 TO COME FROM HONG KONG. IF AN RPC IS ESTABLISHED WE COULD BE MORE FLEXIBLE. EXISTENCE OF AN RPC WOULD NOT AFFECT OUR COMMITMENT TO TAKE A FAIR SHARE OF DIFFICULT CASES.

B.

YEAR BY YEAR 50/35/15 FORMULA. WE COULD NOT AGREE TO 50/35/15 IN MEETING THE UK COMMITMENT. ANYTHING OTHER THAN AN EVEN SPLIT WOULD DISTORT COSTS AND PUT THE VOLUNTARY AGENCIES AND STATUTORY SERVICES UNDER GREATER STRAIN. UNLIKE MANY OTHER COUNTRIES WHO ARE FACED WITH EXPANDING WELL-ESTABLISHED PROGRAMMES, WE ARE ESSENTIALLY STARTING FROM SCRATCH. WE HAVE ONLY BEEN RECEIVING FAMILY REUNION CASES IN RECENT YEARS AND HOUSING ARRANGEMENTS IN PARTICULAR FOR THOSE WITH NO UK LINKS NEED A LOT MORE WORK. THIS MAKES IT DIFFICULT TO CONTEMPLATE A LOADING ON THE FIRST YEAR. IF WE ARE ABLE TO MAKE USE OF BATAAN IN ITS PRESENT FORM IT WOULD, HOWEVER, BE POSSIBLE TO MOVE A

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