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PS/Lord Goronwy-Roberts.
corymy-Robert M. O'Keefe
HONG KONG: VIETNAMESE REFUGEES
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1. The Hong Kong Immigration Department have been warned that a Burmese-registered ship, which is due to arrive in Hong Kong today, 7 July, has picked up 98 refugees believed to be Vietnamese. (Hong Kong telegram no. 674 of 6 July.) A decision is required on whether they are to be allowed to land in Hong Kong.
2. Following the "Clara Maersk" incident last year, the then Secretary of State authorised the Hong Kong Government to prevent Vietnamese from landing in the Colony except in cases of a compassionate nature (see the minute on the Secretary of State's
This was copy of Hong Kong telegram no. 451 of 8 May 1975). primarily because Hong Kong's capacity to absorb further refugees from Vietnam had been exhausted, a consideration which no longer applies now that only a handful of the Vietnamese who arrived after the collapse of South Vietnam still remain in the Colony.
3. Recently 19 Vietnamese who were landed from a British tanker have been given permission to stay for a month on humanitarian grounds (Mr Drace-Francis' letter of 18 June to Mr Janvrin). This decision has, however, been criticised in certain Hong Kong newspapers as being discriminatory vis-a-vis the illegal immigrants arriving from China. There is an obvious risk of growing criticism from the Chinese population of the Colony if further landings are allowed; and this might indeed make the present policy of returning Chinese illegal immigrants a good deal more difficult to apply.
4. I recommend that we confirm that we have no objection to the Director of Immigration refusing permission for these refugees to land, except for compassionate reasons. I attach a draft telegram.
7 July 1976
CONFIDENTIAL
PL O'Keeffe
Hong Kong Department
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Goronwy. Roberts
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