Telegram from the American Council of Voluntary Agencies
- 16th July 1976
(Copy received 23 July 1976)
TO H.E. The Hon. Sir Peter Ramsbotham,
Ambassador to the USA from Great Pritain.
British Embassy, Washington D.C.
My dear Mr. Ambassador,
We request that you submit the following appeal to your government as well as
to the authorities in Hong Kong.
The undersigned voluntary agencies in the United States with longstanding history of concern for refugees have been watching with deep distress and disbelief the news reports indicating that Hong Kong is barring Indochinese refugees who have escaped in unseaworthy vessels from landing in the rown colony. While this policy does not appear to be limited to asylum seekers in Hong Kong we are addressing this appeal to you because of your government's traditional concern for human rights and refugee problems throughout the world. The newspaper reports usually refer to refugees picked up by passing merchantmen while their small craft were in grave peril. The inability of cargo ships to land refugees rescued in open sea already has produced distrous results. The press now reports that captains of frighters often ignore rag tage boats even when the refugees are waving desperately. Since there is no parallel to this situation in our memory we ca not believe the Hong Kong authorities are implementing the instructions of your Government when they refuse 99 Vietnamese refugees picked up by the Burmese owned SS AVA. We plead with you to clarify the position of the British Government and to set an example for a policy of first asylum for shipwrecked refugees.
American ɗbuncil for Nationalities Service American Fund for Czechoslovak Refugees Church World Service
HIAS
International Rescue Committee
Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service Migration and Refugee Service
U.S. Catholic Conference
Tolstoy Foundation
Travellers Aid International Social Service