CONFIDENTIAL
BY BAG
CR 2/4821/75 III
MIGS E B V LUKE
HANOI
3 April 1978
HKK 243/1
10AR2 1973
Loken
RELUCTANT VIETNAMESE REFUGEES
Following the recent successful repatriation of the four Vietnamese who were picked up by the Hong Kong cargo vessel, we have been looking at the question of those who arrived on the "CLARA MAERSK" and who have said that they would like to return to Vietnam. We agree that they should not try to get them back on any of the three remaining C P A flights.
2.
You refer in your letter of 27 January to Maideen's suggestion that they should approach the Vietnamese Embassy in Peking to request re-entry to Vietnam, This suggestion has not in fact been put to those concerned but we now feel that it would be sensible to do so. Now that there are to be flights from Bangkok to Ho Chi Minh City, we would also suggest the Vietnamese Embassy in Bangkok as an alternative place for them to apply to. We shall let you know how many of these refugees decide to apply. It will no doubt take some time for the Vietnamese to consider their cases. If any are granted permission to return we can then discuss the best route. Apart from travel via China or Thailand, there would be the possibility of one of the ad hoc C P A flights if these are arranged after the present programme of flights is completed.
CC
(I C Orr
SEAD, FCO
FED, F CO
P J L Popplewell Esq Peking
HK & G Dept, F C O
noo
Immigration Dept (Mr Chadderton)
CONF
CONFIDENTIAL