300
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FM MANILA
CONFIDENTAL
HKK 243/1
LINKU I KOSISTRY MO. 51 5 JAN1979
DERSO
INDEX
RE TRY
Action T ten
34
404382 JAN 79
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
TELEGRAM NUMBER 306 OF 4 JANUARY
INFO IMMEDIATE GOVERNOR HONG KONG,
No
PRIORITY UKHIS GENE
CLE
WASHINGTON, CANDERRA, KUALA LUMPUR, SINGAPORE?,3-7-,@(9(; HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE, LONDON.
SAVING TO HANOI.
HONG KONG TELNO 019 TO YOU: TUNG AN.
Dee (53
1. UNHCR REPRESENTATIVE BLATTER HAD STORMY MEETING WITH PHILIPPINE
AUTHORITIES YESTERDAY. THEY TOLD HIM VESSEL WILL BE TOWED TO SEA
ON 10 JANUARY IF ENOUGH SATISFACTORY RESETTLEMENT OFFERS ARE NOT
RECEIVED BEFORE THEN FROM OTHER COUNTRIES. THEY ADDED THAT SINCE BRUNET HAD TURNED THE SHIP AWAY PHILIPPINES WOULD HAVE NO COMPUNCTION ABOUT SENDING IT TO FIRST SCHEDULED PORT OF CALL, HONG KONG.
2. BLATTER SAYS TUNG AN HAS 7 REFUGEES WITH BRITISH CONNECTIONS AND 21 WITH HONG KONG CONNECTIONS. OTHER FIGURES ARE: UNITED STATES 656, AUSTRALIA 253, CANADA 38, FRANCE 85, SWITZERLAND 34, WEST GERMANY 20, NEW ZEALAND 11, BELGIUM 1, DENMARK 1, SINGAPORE 1, IN ALL ABOUT HALF THOSE ON BOARD.
3. UNITED STATES, AUSTRALIA, AND WEST GERMANY HAVE ALL AGREED TO TAKE REFUGEES BUT THIS COMMITMENT IS APPARENTLY FOR REFUGEES
ALREADY IN PHILIPPINES RATHER THAN FROM TUNG AN. PRESS REPORTS
TODAY SUGGEST THAT IF REFUGEES ARE RESETTLED FROM THE MANILA CENTRE, TUNG AN OCCUPANTS WILL BE ALLOWED TO LAND IN THEIR PLACES, BUT MFA
HAVE NOT CONFIRMED THIS TO BLATTER.
4. BLATTER SAYS AUSTRALIANS HAVE SO FAR OFFERED TO TAKE 279. HE HOPES
THAT IN ADDITION THEY WILL AGREE TO ACCEPT THE 253 FROM THE TUNG
AN CLAIMING AUSTRALIAN CONNECTIONS. WEST GERMANS WILL TAKE 150
FROM CENTRE PLUS THE 20 WITH CLAIMED CONNECTIONS FROM TUNG AN.
AND AMERICANS WILL NOW THEMSELVES START INTERVIEWING THE 656
ON THE VESSEL WITH CLAIMED UNITED STATES CONNECTIONS.
5. BLATTER ARGUES THAT A FEW MORE OFFERS TO TAKE REFUGEES FROM
BOTH ONSHORE AND TUNG AN WILL EFFECTIVELY DETER PHILIPPINE
AUTHORITIES FROM ORDERING SHIP TO HONG KONG. HE ADDS THAT IN VIEW
OF FIRST PORT OF CALL SITUATION AN OFFER FROM THE UK AT THIS
/JUNCTURE
CONFIDENTIAL