CONFIDENTIAL
394
(372)
GR 195
CONFIDENTIAL
DESKBY 270900Z FCO
FM HONG KONG 27080OZ DEC 78
TO IMMEDIATE F CO
TELEGRAM NUMBER 1490 OF 27 DECEMBER
HKK 243 RECEIVED IN REGIAY NO. 51 29 DEC 1978
INDEX
дь
29/17 är
INFO IMMEDIATE MANILA, BANGKOK, BRUNEI, UKMIS GENEVA
INFO ROUTINE HONG KONG, GOVERNMENT OFFICE LONDON, WASHINGTON,
SINGAPORE, KUALA LUMPUR, PEKING.
390
YOUR TELNO 972: HUEY FONG AND TONG AN.
See (397
THE FOLLOWING ARE THE ANSWERS TO YOUR QUESTIONS TO THE EXTENT
OF OUR INFORMATION HERE :
A. THE HUEY FONG IS AT PRESENT IN INTERNATIONAL WATERS, TECHNICALLY
OUR POLICE HAVE NO JURISDICTION. AS YOU KNOW, THE MOD HAVE ALREADY TURNED DOWN THE SUGGESTION IN PARA 2(2) OF MY TELNO 1484
THAT NAVAL PERSONNEL SHOULD BE PLACED ON BOARD (WITH THE MASTER'S WRITTEN CONSENT) SHOULD HE CLAIM THAT HE FEARS FOR HIS LIFE IF FORCED TO SAIL. IN EXTREME CIRCUMSTANCES, AND IF THERE WAS A GENUINE AND URGENT THREAT TO THE LIFE OF THE MASTER OR OTHERS ON BOARD EVEN WHILE REMAINING HERE, WE WOULD PROBABLY HAVE TO USE THE POLICE OR NAVY TO GIVE HIM SOME PROTECTION, DESPITE THE FACT THAT THE SHIP IS OUTSIDE OUR JURISDICTION. AS YOU WILL KNOW
FROM MY TELNO 1480, HOWEVER, THE MASTER HAS ONLY CLAIMED THAT HE FEARS FOR HIS LIFE IF HE TRIES TO GO ON TO TAIWAN, NOT IF HE
REMAINS WHERE HE IS:
375A
;.
376
B. MY TELNO 1483 GIVES DETAILS OF FOOD AND WATER SUPPLIED. AT A MINIMUM, WE SUPPLIED ENOUGH FOR THREE DAYS' FOOD AND 18 DAYS' WATER ON 24 DECEMBER. WE ARE SUPPLYING FURTHER BISCUITS AND BREAD TODAY BECAUSE THOSE ON THE SHIP CLAIM THAT THEY LACK FACILITIES TO COOK THE RICE ALREADY SUPPLIED. WE HAVE NO MEANS OF TELLING HOW
MUCH FOOD WAS ALREADY ON THE HUEY FONG. MY TELNO 1483 ALSO
(375A) EXPLAINS THAT DOCTORS EXAMINED ALL THOSE WHO WERE SAID TO BE IN NEED OF URGENT ATTENTION. FROM LATER TELEGRAMS YOU WILL KNOW THAT A TOTAL OF SIX PEOPLE (INCLUDING ONE MOTHER AND NEW CHILD) WERE BROUGHT ASHCRE FOR TREATMENT AND ARE STILL HERE, ALTHOUGH
ALL ARE NOW IN SUFFICIENTLY GOOD HEALTH TO BE DISCHARGED FROM
¡
CONFIDENTIAL
/HOSPITAL