52)
CO CANBERRA
00 WELLINGTON
GR320
CYPHER/CAT A
FM FCO 691335Z
CONFIDENTIAL
TO IMMEDIATE CANBERRA TELNO 377 OF 9 MAY AND TO IMEDIATE WELLINGTON FOLLOWING TELEGRAM NOW REPEATED TO YOU AT REQUEST OF DEPARTMENT WAS RECEIVED FROM HONG KONG TELEGRAM WUNDER 451 OF 8 MAY.
IVFC IMMEDIATE WASHINGTON AND STOCKHOLM ROUTINE OTTAWA, COPENHAGEN, PEKILG, MAXIAL AND SINGAPORE (SAIGON UNIT).
VISTYMESE REFUGEES.
IN ADDITION TO APPROXIMATELY 4,000 SOUTH VIETNAMESE REFUGEES LOW TEMPORARILY ACCOMMODATED IS HONG KONG, FURTHER GROUPC ARE LIKELY TO ARRIVE BY SEA.
2.0: 6 MAY 79 REFUGEES ARRIVED BY JUCK AND ALL BUT FIVE OF THEN, WHO HAVE YET TO BE FOUND, HAVE JOINED THE CLARA MAERSK GROUP. ROYAL INTEROCEAR LIVES HAVE VAR ED US THAT ONE OF THEIR SHIPS WITH 27 REFUGEES ADOARD HAS DEEN REFUSED PER 19510# TO DISEMBARK THEN IT SINGAPORE AND THERE IS A RISK THAT THEY MAY CONE HERE.
3. WE ALSO RELIEVE THAT THE SWEDISH VESSEL, THE .S. JAPAL OF SCA DUTCH LINE CARRYING 27 REFUGGEES, WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO UILOAD THEN IN MANILA WHERE THE SHIP IS TODAY. THE UNITED STATES HAS DECLINED TO ACCEPT THIS GROUP INTO ITS ENCLAVE IN THE PHILIPPINES AND PHILIPPINE GOVERNMENT IS BEING VERY TOUGH. THE SHIP IS DUE TO ARRIVE IN HONG KONG TOMORROW FOR DRY DOCKING FOR A FEW DAYS, BEFORE PROCEEDING TO JAPAN, PANAMA CANAL, PEIRUT, TRIPOLI AND THEN SWEDEN. WE HAVE ALERTED SWEDISH CONSULATE-GENERAL TO THE PROBLEM.
4. IT WILL BE DIFFICULT FINDING HOMES FOR THOSE REFUGEES WE HAVE ALREADY AND OUR PRACTICAL PROBLEMS WILL INCREASE AS MORE TRY TO COME HERE. THE TIME IS FAST APPROACHING AT WHICH WE WILL HAVE TO MAKE A PUBLIC STATEMENT THAT OUR CAPACITY TO ABSORE FURTHER REFUGEES IS EXHAUSTED UNTIL WE HAVE A GUARANTEE OF HOMES ELSEWHERE FOR THOSE ALREADY HERE. DO YOU AGREE THAT WE SHOULD NOW SAY THAT · UNLESS IT IS NECESSARY, TO LAND THE 27 ON THE SWEDISH VESSEL FOR HUMANITARIAL REACONG (E.G. FOR HOSPITALISATION), WE SHALL HAVE TO REFUSE THEM ENTRY. GRATEFUL FOR IMMEDIATE REPLY.
CALLAGHAN
NNUN