132
Itie
what prozien
hus
দি
RESED has been
Jusa
giver
incrity but acceptance pendent au phon
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
London SW1A 2AH
I C Orr, Esq
Government Secretariat Hong Kong
the Jaunto
Telephone 01- 233-8631
bean make over the
foot balch accegues
(WHE UK?
fu
7/8
Your reference
Our reference
Date
UNS 243/4
1 August, 1978
HKR 243/1 RECEIVED IN RECIOSÍ MO. 51
8 AUG 1978
DESK GIROLA
INDEX
TRY
PA
Action Tawon
2
REFUGEES FROM VIETNAM
1.
CLE
are
No
The guarantee that we Thank you for your letter of 14 July. now prepared to give to third countries in respect of refugees rescued by UK registered shipping seems to work reasonably well. country has so far rejected our guarantee. If the master of a vessel decides to sail on (with the refugees aboard) before our guarantee has been tested, as was the case with the "Sibonga", then we would expect the same guarantee to be put to the authorities of the vessel's next port of call. There would be no question of us telling the Captain
"to try again somewhere else". If our guarantee were to be unacceptable, and we were faced with leaving refugees on board a UK registered vessel for an indefinite period with no likelihood of early disembarkation, then we should wish to try to arrange emergency reception facilities here in the UK. The latter would depend, to some extent, on the ability of the voluntary agencies in the UK to help out but I have no doubt they would.
2.
The general background information provided in your letter of 21 July is most useful and I shall reply fully in due course (I am going on leave tomorrow for a few weeks). In the meantime, you will wish to know that the UK has pledged a further £1 million to UNHCR for their programme on behalf of Indo-Chinese refugees: the money will be paid over to UNHCR within the next few weeks.
3. We shall find out whether the Home Office will consider accepting a further group of refugees from Hong Kong. I think, however, they will wish to see the group of 61 satisfactorily received and resettled first. I shall be in touch with you later on this and other points.
сс
SEAD
HK & GD UKMis Geneva
RESTRICTED
P Morgan
UN Department