Foreign and Commonwealth Office London SW1A 2AH
CONFIDENTI AL
Telephone 01-233-8631
R A MacDowell Esq
Immigration and Nationality Branch
Home Office
Lunar House
Wellesley Road, Croydon CR9 2BY.
Your reference
Our reference
Date 30 July 1976
113
102
1.
You will be aware of the problems caused recently when the Burmese vessel 'Ava' put into Hong Kong with 99 Vietnamese refugees on board. Our basic concerns, as regards Hong Kong, are set out in the attached aide-mémoire which our Ambassador in Geneva left with Prince Sadruddin when he informed the latter of HMG's decision to allow the refugees to disembark.
2.
As you know, we have been urging the UNHCR to find a solution to the problem of Vietnamese refugees who leave Vietnam on fragile craft and for some time we have been expecting UNHCR to put forward some kind of plan through which the international community might co-operate to reduce or eliminate this problem. We have been lucky to obtain, from our Mission in Geneva, a draft of the plan Prince Sadruddin hopes to put to governments shortly
I shall, and I enclose a copy which you will wish to study.
of course, let you know as soon as any formal communication on this plan is received from the High Commissioner.
3.
Without wishing to inundate you with paper, I also attach a copy of a self-explanatory letter and enclosure from Eric Callway which sets out the size of the problem so far: this information was received in confidence from UNHCR in Geneva.
:
Enc.
L
P Morgan
United Nations Department
Copied to: Mr J Mallett, MVD, FCO (with enclosures)
Mr D Milton, Hong Kong Dept., FCO (without enclosures) Mr E W Callway, UKMis Geneva (without enclosures)
CONFIDENTIAL
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