CODE 18-77
Mr Stewart
HONG KONG:
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1. Mr Clark of Shell International (with whom I had previously had some business over Seychelles) telephoned this afternoon to say that a Shell tanker had picked up 33 Vietnamese refugees from a sinking vessel in the South China Sea and was on its way with them to Japan, its next scheduled destination. Mr Clark explained that before the tanker had been told to continue on its way to Japan, the Shell Manager in Hong Kong had consulted the authorities there about their attitude towards accepting the refugees if the Japanese should not, in the event, be prepared to land them. Hong Kong authorities had explained their difficulties about accepting groups of Vietnamese refugees and had encouraged Shell to direct their tanker to Japan as originally planned. Mr Clark said that the Hong Kong authorities had asked the Shell Manager to ensure that we knew of this incident and of the attitude they had taken. He said that the tanker was now proceeding in the direction of Japan where there were grounds for thinking that the Japanese would be prepared to accept the refugees temporarily.
2.
I thanked Mr Clark for passing on the message from Hong Kong and explained some of the background to their desire not to become involved in dealing with another group of Vietnamese refugees. Mr Clark said that he entirely understood Hong Kong's attitude and it had not been his intention in telephoning me to imply any criticism of the Hong Kong authorities. On the contrary, Mr Clark agreed when
I suggested that the problem of shipwrecked Vietnamese refugees was one for the UNHCR to deal with.
3. No further action is called for but this latest report of Vietnamese refugees who might have gone to Hong Kong, coupled with that in Hong Kong telegram No 773 of 4 August, does reinforce Hong Kong's view that they should not be expected to become a dumping ground for refugees from Vietnam and that the problem should be "internationalised".
4 August 1976
iz. F. Milli.
DF Milton
Hong Kong Department
Copy to: Mr Janvrin
Brouton
Mr Reyeroft FED
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