Enc.
J
Mr Free-Gore
bore
Marine & Transport Dept
1776 file
VIETNAMESE REFUGEES
1. I attach a copy of a rather disturbing letter which I have received from the Secretary of the Standing Conference of British Organisations for Aid to Refugees. I represent the FCO at meetings of the Standing Conference and they frequently raise problems with me or UND in the first instance. This letter is based, of course, on runour rather than fact but I shall need to send a reply and in view of nny official relationship with the Conference I should like to send as full a one as possible.
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Our departments are of course well aware of the problem to which Miss Rice-Jones is referring. For a considerable time, numbers of Vietnamese refugees have been leaving Vietnam on small, often unseaworthy, craft and putting into various ports in South East Asia. In many cases they have been refused permission to land and have been turned away only to try their luck at some other destination. Sometimes passing ships have taken on board refugees from fragile craft in danger of sinking, hoping to put them ashore at the next port of call. In some instances the authorities at various ports have refused permission for the refugees to be landed. This has obviously caused problems for shipowners and fears have been expressed by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees that shipmasters might refuse to rescue refugees whose vessels were in grave danger of sinking.
3. I have discussed this problem with Mr W E Henry of the Departmen of Trade's Shipping Policy Division who asked that any approach · to them should be made through you. He told me ho had heard of no cases of British ships refusing to take these refugees on board nor of them allowing people to drown in the sea without doing anything to help. But he did say that his Department issued a warning notice some time ago to shipowners asking them to be careful of picking up people in Vietnamese waters because of reports of piracy.
4. I should like to be able to give an assurance to the Standing Conference that these rumours, as far as British ships are concerned, are unfounded. Alternatively, if there is any action we can take for the future to ensure that those in need of rescue at sea are indeed picked up, this would be helpful. should be grateful for advice on how to reply to the Standing Conference.
10 January 1977
0.0.
Mr Milton, HKD Mr Humfrey, SEAD
Silmargan
P Morgan
United Nations Department
Mr. Sagineus
Muinte auhof
I
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