TNAG-1915-FCO40-2719-Hong-Kong-resettlement-of-Vietnamese-refugees-in-third-count-1989 — Page 7

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HKB 2+3/28,

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MDLIAN 4666

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FM HONG KONG

TO PRIORITY FCO

TELNO 2268

OF 07070OZ JULY 89

INFO PRIORITY UKMIS GENEVA, BANGKOK, WASHINGTON

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BANGKOK TELNO 446: VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE: RESETTLEMENT TECHNICAL MEETING

IT IS VERY DISAPPOINTING (EVEN IF NOT UNEXPECTED) THAT THE US ENVISAGES RESETTLING SOME 8,000 REFUGEES EACH FROM THAILAND AND MALAYSIA, AND BETWEEN 1,000 AND 3,000 FROM OTHER PLACES OF FIRST ASYLUM, INCLUDING HONG KONG. GIVEN THE NUMBERS OF REFUGEES IN THAILAND, MALAYSIA AND HONG KONG RESPECTIVELY, THIS IS CLEARLY VERY FAR FROM AN EQUITABLE DISTRIBUTION OF RESETTLEMENT PLACES.

2. WE ARE PLEASED TO NOTE THAT UNHCR'S HONG KONG REPRESENTATIVE SPOKE UP FOR A LARGER OFFTAKE FROM HONG KONG. WE SHOULD BE GRATEFUL IF WASHINGTON COULD TAKE AN EARLY OPPORTUNITY TO POINT OUT TO THE AMERICANS THE UNFAIRNESS OF THEIR PROPOSED ALLOCATION OF RESETTLEMENT PLACES, AND TO PRESS FOR A MORE GENEROUS US ALLOCATION OF PLACES IN HONG KONG.

3. UNLESS WE CAN SECURE THIS (OR UNLESS OTHER RESETTLEMENT COUNTRIES, NOTABLY CANADA AND AUSTRALIA, ARE WILLING TO ALLOCATE A LARGE PROPORTION OF THEIR RESETTLEMENT PLACES TO HONG KONG) WE ARE UNLIKELY TO ACHIEVE A 50 PERCENT OFFTAKE OF OUR REFUGEE POPULATION BY JUNE 1990.

WILSON

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