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TO IMMEDIATE TOKYO TELNO 366 OF 19 JULY
INFO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG UKMIS GENEVA WASHINGTON -PRIORITY RANGOON PEKING KUALA LUMPUR
INFO SAVING HANOI.
PY TELLO 68 TO RANGOON AND TELNO 1561 TO WASHINGTON VIETNAMESE REFUGEES
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1. YOU WILL SEE FROM MY TELEGRAMS UNDER REFERENCE THAT
THE BURMESE ARE NOT PREPARED TO HELP OVER THE REFUGEES ON
THE QUOTE AVA UNQUOTE BUT THE AMERICANS MAY BE PREPARED TO TAKE A NUMBER OF THEM. IF THE LATTER TURNS OUT TO BE THE CASE, THE QUESTION WILL STILL REMAIN OF WHAT TO DO WITH THE REMAINDER. YOU WILL HAVE SEEN FROM MY TELNO 1543 TO WASHINGTON THAT THE UNHCR SUGGESTED LAST WEEK THAT ONE POSSIBILITY MIGHT BE FOR THE REFUGEES TO STAY ON BOARD THE QUOTE AVA UNQUOTE UNTIL SHE REACHES YOKOHAMA, WHEN THE JAPANESE MIGHT GRANT THEM TEMPORARY ASYLUM WHILE THE UNHCR EXPLORED RESETTLEMENT POSSIBILITIES ELSEWHERE. HONG KONG TELNO 712, PARAGRAPH 7, WHICH REPORTS THE ATTITUDE OF THE JAPANESE CONSULATE GENERAL THERE, IS RELEVANT IN THIS CONNECTION.
2. ALTHOUGH THE UNHCR HAVE NOW EXPRESSED DOUBTS WHETHER THE JAPANESE WOULD BE PREPARED TO ADMIT REFUGEES FROM THE QUOTE AVA UNQUOTE IN THE FIRST INSTANCE (UK MISSION GENEVA TELMO 212), WE SHOULD BE GRATEFUL IF YOU WOULD SEEK TO FIND OUT WHAT THEIR ATTITUDE WOULD BE IF THEY WERE ASKED TO HELP. IN SO DOING, PLEASE EMPHASISE HONG KONG'S DIFFICULTIES AS EXPLAINED IN PARAGRAPH 2 OF MY TELNO 1543 TO WASHINGTON. YOU SHOULD NOT (REPEAT NOT) AT THIS STAGE MENTION THAT THERE MAY BE A POSSIBILITY OF THE AMERICANS
TAKING SOME OF THE REFUGEES.
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