PERSONAL AND CONFIDENTIAL
Foreign and Commonwealth Office London SW1
Telephone 01-
HE Sir Murray MacLehose KCMG KCVO MBE
HONG KONG
Your reference
Our reference
NKX18/25
Date
22 May 1975
135
B
Dear Murray,
VIETNAMESE REFUGEES
1.
You may already have noticed the passage sidelined in the enclosed extract from Hansard of 21 May.
2.
This is just to say that the Secretary of State was not briefed on the point of returnees to Vietnam and his remarks about it were an impromptu response. We are of course very conscious of the sensitivity of any suggestion that Vietnamese refugees in Hong Kong might be sent back compulsorily, a point I made to Lord Goronwy-Roberts earlier this week and with which he entirely agreed. In any submissions on this subject you may rest assured that we shall take full account of the considerations set out in your telno. 507 of 22 May.
3.
Alan Donald.
I enclose a copy which you may care to pass on to
Yours ever
Laurence
PL O'Keeffe
Hong Kong & Indian Ocean Dept.
PERSONAL AND CONFIDENTIAL
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