CRS 338
PRIORITY
CYPHER CAT A
CONFIDENTIAL
RECEIVED IN REGISTRY No.52
29 JUL19/4
FM SAICON 290925Z
CONFIDENTIAL
For COLY
176
TO PRIORITY FCO TELEGRAM NUMBER 208 OF 29 JULY 1974
REPEATED FOR INFORMATION PRIORITY HONG KONG AND CANBERRA
MY TELEGRAM NO 206 (NOT TO CANBERRA).
HONG KONG ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS.
1.
LAST
REF
NEXT
REF.
123
MY AUSTRALIAN COLLEAGUE CALLED TO SEE ME, TODAY WITH AN UNFORTUNATE STORY AND AN OFFICIAL APOLOGY. HE SAID THAT
GN 1 JULY HE HAD REPORTED TO CANBERRA ON THE CASE OF THE 118
ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS RETURNED TO VIETNAM FROM HONG KONG.
HIS TELEGRAM WAS BASED ON A CONVERSATION BETWEEN A MEMBER
OF HIS STAFF AND A MEMBER OF MINE. THIS TELEGRAM HAD BEEN
LEAKED IN CANBERRA AND HAS BEEN REPUBLISHED IN A WEEKLY JOURNAL
CALLED THE NATION REVIEW.
2. I HAVE NOT BEEN GIVEN A COPY OF HIS TELEGRAM BUT FROM
WHAT WAS READ OUT TO ME BY THE AUSTRALIAN AMBASSADOR IT SEEMS
ESSENTIALLY A SOBER AND FACTUAL ACCOUNT OF THE CASE AS WE
UNDERSTOOD IT THEN. IT DOES, HOWEVER, CONTAIN THE ALLEGED VIEW OF THE BRITISH EMBASSY THAT THE DESERTERS WOULD PROBABLY
BE SENT TO FRONT LINE UNITS. THIS COULD BE TAKEN UP AGAINST
HMG BY EG AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL.
FOLLOWING
3. IN FACT, WE HAVE NO DECIDED VIEW ON THE POINT.
HOAN'S COMMENT THAT DESERTERS WOULD BE RELATIVELY LENIENTLY TREATED (MY TFL NO 167) WE HAVE ALWAYS ASSUMED THAT
AFTER A PERIOD IN PRISON DESERTERS MIGHT BE SENT TO FRONT LINE UNITS BUT WE DO NOT THINK THIS IS NECESSARILY THE CASE (THERE ARE PROBABLY TOO MANY DESERTERS TO MAKE THIS POSSIBLE) NOR IS
A FRONT LINE POSTING AS AL ARMING AS IT MAY SOUND. IF
QUESTIONED WE COULD TAKE THE LINE THAT DESERTION IS AN EXTREMELY
CONFIDENTIAL
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