GF 323
I
CONFIDENTIAL
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機密
This she did at 1020 hours on 23rd December. Instructions were already in force that no one was to board a vessel such as the "Huey Fong" except with the authority of a Policy Group which would be established under the Chairman- ship of the Secretary for Security. This group held it first meeting at 1100 hours on 23rd December.
5.
The exchange of messages between the ship and Hong Kong from 18th to 23rd December is set out in full in Annex A.
THE RESUPFLY OF THE SHIP OFF PO TOI FROM 23RD DECEMBER, 1978 TO 19TH JANUARY, 1979
6.
At its first meeting the Policy Group agreed that the "Huey Fong" was to be discouraged from entering Hong Kong waters but that the refugees on board were to be treated in a humane manner. It was, therefore, decided that the Master of the vessel should be invited to communicate his requirements to HMS Wasperton, and that a plan should be drawn up for doctors and auxiliary medical personnel to board the ship with Police support, and for the supply of blankets, food and water. Bad weather hampered these tasks.
7.
The provision of food, water and medical assistance, including where necessary the transfer of refugees to hospitals ashore, continued throughout the 27 days that the ship remained at anchor off Po Toi. A diary of events during this period is at Annex B.
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8.
The initial medical examination was completed and the doctors and Police were taken off the ship on 24th December. After this the Policy Group did not authorise any further boarding of the vessel until it entered the Square Boundary. This decision was taken because the ship was on a voyage in international waters, to avoid the risk of hostages being seized by those on board the "Huey Fong and because it proved possible to resupply the ship and deal with its medical requirements without any Hong Kong presence aboard. It also removed the risk of a large number of refugees jumping off the "Huey Fong" onto vessels going alongside. As a general rule only PN patrol crafts' Gemini dinghies were used to transfer people by sea to and from the ship. Thus a heavy load was placed on both RAF Wessex and RHKAAF Alouette helicopters for casualty evacuation and resupply operations throughout the period. The normal procedure for resupplying the ship was to provide rations for three days at a time, since sailing time to Kaohsiung was estimated to be three days. These rations were provided by a commercial company which delivered them to Stanley Fort which had been selected as a suitably located base for helicopter operations. The Army stored the rations overnight and sorved them into helicopter loads. Wessex aircraft of 28 Squadron RAF lifted the rations in the form of underslung loads and delivered them onto the "Huey Fong's" aft superstructure. A typical delivery of rations for three days weighed about 20,000 lbs. and took 3 or 4 hours to airlift from Stanley to the ship.
CONFIDENTIAL
機密