IMMEDIATE
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CONFIDENTIAL
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94
GR 315
CYPHER/CAT A AND BY BAG
FM FCO 261800Z
CONFIDENTIAL
TO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG TELNO.581 OF 26 JULY
AND TO IMMEDIATE: WASHINGTON, UKMIS GENEVA, RANGOON, TOKYO,
PRIORITY: KUALA LUMPUR,
INFO PEKING,
INFO SAVING HANOI.
Frit
MY TELNO,577 VIETNAMESE REFUGEES.
89 1C96
1. MINISTERS CONSIDER THAT IN THE LIGHT OF THE HINT FROM THE AMERICANS THAT THEY WILL ACCEPT THESE REFUGEES, WHICH THEY BELIEVE IMPOSES A STRONG MORAL OBLIGATION, IT WOULD BE WRONG TO ALLOW THE "’AVA'' TO SAIL WITH THE REFUGEES STILL ON BOARD. THEY ARE ALSO IMPRESSED BY THE AMERICAN AND UNHCR ARGUMENT THAT, IF THEY ARE NOT TEMPORARILY LANDED IN HONG KONG, SHIPS' MASTERS WILL DECLINE TO PICK UP INDO-CHINESE REFUGEES AT SEA FOR FEAR THAT THEY WILL NOT BE ABLE TO LAND THEM AT THEIR NEXT PORT OF CALL. THEY HAVE THEREFORE CONCLUDED THAT, UNLESS THERE IS SOME NEW FACTOR LOCALLY, YOU SHOULD ALLOW THEM TO LAND. PLEASE SO INFORM THE MASTER OF THE ''AVA'' EXPLAINING, IF YOU CONSIDER IT APPROPRIATE, THAT THERE ARE NOW REASONABLE EXPECTATIONS THAT OTHER COUNTRIES WILL BE PREPARED TO FIND PERMANENT HOMES FOR THE REFUGEES,
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12.