布政司署
香港下亞畢道
PERSONAL & CONFIDENTIAL
*** OUR REF.: CR 2/4821/75 II
來函檔號 Your REF.:
JA B Stewart Esq OBE
Hong Kong Department
F CO
Dear John
LAST
REXT
REF.
THE 'AVA' CASE
142
C.S. 41A
COLONIAL SECRETARIAT
LOWER ALBERT ROAD
HONG KONG
25 August, 1976
RECEIVES IN
3, 51
- 6 UG1975
xK243/508/1
I don't know how far you have been involved in the saga of the Vietnamese refugees who came on board the 'AVA' to Hong Kong last month.
2.
I think about 20 have actually left the colony for resettlement elsewhere but there are still quite good hopes of the Americans being able to resettle most of the remainder. However, I thought I would let you know that we have heard from Sampat kumar, the representative of the UNHCR, that the government of West Germany had agreed to admit 15 Vietnamese from the 'AVA' group subject to suitable cases being submitted to the West Germans for their consideration.
3.
We have had the nicest possible letter from Sampatkumar to the Director of Immigration thanking the Hong Kong authorities for the humanitarian spirit in which we accorded temporary asylum for the Vietnamese on board the 'AVA' and the 'MAI ABETO'.
4.
We have made a lot of progress because of the 'AVA' case. We are now in a position to land refugees temporarily in Hong Kong provided the UNHCR takes full responsibility in each case and provided the numbers and frequency of arrivals are not excessive. In this exercise we are most grateful to our people in Geneva for having kept the UNHCR up to the mark.
ever,
Your
Alan
(A E Donald)
cc E W Callway Esq, UKMIS Geneva.