NATIONS UNIES
HAUT COMMISSARIAT UR LES RÉFUGIÉS
Telegrammes: HICOMREF
Telex: 22.212 cu 22.344
Télephone: 34 60 11 33 40 00 33 20 00
| UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSIONER
FOR REFUGEES:
118/0
Palais des Nations
CH-1211 GENÈVE 10
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees presents its compliments to the Permanent Mission of the United Kingdom to the Office of the United Nations at Geneva and has the honour to refer to a group of 119 nationals of the Republic of Viet-Nam, who were
It is deported last month to the Republic of Viet-Nam from Hong Kong. reported that the persons in this group were of Chinese origin, and included elderly people with relatives living in Hong Kong, as well as children under 13 years, and that at least one was born in Hong Kong..
The Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees understands that the Government of Hong Kong received firm assurances from the Government of the Republic of Viet-Nam that if the 119 persons were returned no harm would come to them. The Office has, however, now received reports indicating that the persons concerned have been imprisoned at Con Son prison in Viet-Nam, where conditions are said to leave much to be desired. Reports have also been received indicating that they will be charged with illegal departure from the Republic of Viet-Nam, and that some will also be charged with attempting to avoid military service.
The Office would be grateful if the Permanent Mission of the United Kingdom could provide information on the background of the 119 Vietnamese nationals in question and on the extent to which their cases were dealt with individually by the authorities in Hong Kong, and also could provide indications as to the nature of the assurances given to those authorities by the Government of the Republic of Viet-Nam.
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees takes this opportunity of renewing to the Permanent Mission of the United Kingdom the assurances of its highest consideration.
saclandblin Aakhan.
Geneva, 3 July 1974.