00 KUALA LUMPUR
00 SINGAPORE
OU BANGKOK
HKK 243/1
RECEIVED TREON. 110. 51 19 DEC1078
363
SKAD
GRS 240
CONFIDENTIAL
IMMED
At
FM HONG KONG 190945Z DEC 78
TO IMMEDIATE F C O
TELEGRAM NUMBER 1458 OF 19 DECEMBER
.en
HKGD
Hong Kong Govt. Officce
DVANCE COPY
INFO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE LONDON, HANOI,
UKMIS GENEVA, PEKING, CANBERRA, WASHINGTON, MANILA, KUALA LUMPUR,
SINGAPORE, BANGKOK.
361
MY TELNO 1451 (NOT COPIED TO ALL) : VIETNAMESE REFUGEES :
· MS HUEY FONG.
#
IN A MESSAGE RECEIVED BY THE MARINE DEPARTMENT FROM THE 'HUEY FONG'' AT 1000 HOURS HONG KONG TIME TODAY THE POSITION OF THE VESSEL WAS GIVEN AS LAT 10-45N LONG 109-49E. THIS IS ADOUT 200 MILES EAST OF SAIGON AND STILL QUITE CLOSE TO THE VIETNAMESE
COAST.
2. THE MASTER CLAIMS TO HAVE PICKED UP ABOUT 2,700 REFUGEES INCLUDING 1,000 CHILDREN AND 700 OLD PEOPLE. 36 OLD PEOPLE AND 105 CHILDREN ARE REPORTED TO BE SICK. ONE GIRL WAS REPORTED TO BE DEAD (PRESUMABLY AT THE TIME OF BEING PICKED UP). A BABY WAS BORN YESTERDAY AND HER MOTHER IS REPORTED TO BE IN GREAT DANGER.
3. IT HAS BEEN ESTABLISHED THAT THE SHIP, WHICH IS REGISTERED IN PANAMA IS A TAIWAN OWNED; 30 YEAR OLD VESSEL OF ABOUT 4,800 TONS. THE LAST PORT OF CALL WAS BANGKOK AND THE SCHEDULED NEXT PORT OF CALL IS KAOHSIUNG, TAIWAN.
4. AS HONG KONG IS NEITHER THE SCHEDULED NEXT PORT OF CALL, NOR
THE NEAREST PORT, WE INFORMED THE VESSEL AT 1229 HOURS TODAY (MESSAGE CONFIRMED RECEIVED BY. HUEY FONG'') THAT IT WOULD NOT BE ALLOWED TO ENTER HONG KONG, AND HAVE SUGGESTED THAT IF MEDICAL ASSISTANCE OR SUPPLIES AND WATER ARE REQUIRED THE SHIP SHOULD PROCEED TO MANILA OR SINGAPORE.
MACLEHOSE