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ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS TO HONG KONG FROM SOUTH VIETNAM
1.
2.
Lord Goronwy-Roberts asked for a statement for our
use on the current "state of play". XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Out of the original group of 119 arrested on 2 June, one man, who claimed to have been born in Hong Kong, was not (ped repatriated and has since established his right to stay in
Mr Squire) Hong Kong.
3.
The main group of 118 was repatriated to South Vietnam on 17 June. It was then found that one (Truong Hong), who had given a false name in Hong Kong, had previously been condemned to death on smuggling charges. He has since been re-tried and sentenced instead to hard labour for life (and Saigon have
informed us that his sentence may well be further reduced through the regular amnesties).
4. Twenty-seven of the remaining 117, comprising women, children and old people, have been released. The children (at least seven, but we do not know their exact number) have
been released unconditionally, but the women and elderly will
have to report later for trial. Ninety adults await trial in prison: eighty-seven men are held in Chi Hoa prison in Saigon, and three women are in Thu Due women's prison just outside Saigon. The group have thus all left Con Son Island. There are no reports of maltreatment and none can have died since all are accounted for. I have asked HM Ambassador in Saigon to keep us informed of any developments.
5.
No date has been set for the trial, but Saigon informed us on 22 July that the Police Prosecutor considered the trial was unlikely to take place for 'two or three weeks'.
is
A C Stuart
Hong Kong & Indian Ocean Dept.
Keep
25 July 1974
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