GF 323
A
CONFIDENTIAL
TRANSLATION
TO:
Mr. Angelo Rasanayagam, Representative,
Regional Office for South East Asia of the
High Commissioner for Refugees, Hong Kong.
機密
APPENDIX 4 TO ANNEX C
Hong Kong,. January 7th 1979
Dear Representative,
He have the honour to let you know that in the afternoon of 5th January, 1979 we have given to the refugees on board the Huey Fong the sincere and complete account of the results of our discussion with you on the moming of the same day. Equally, we have informed them of the tenor of your letter, re-affirming that the High Commissioner for Refugees will take on his charge the refugees on board the Huey Fong even if the latter must go to Taiwan.
After having seriously reflected and discussed at length the refugees have unanimously adopted the following propositions which they have the honour to submit to you below :
(i)
As refugees it is their duty to unconditionally obey all requirements that the High Commissioner for Refugees will take as regards them. The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China has, however, declared that the refugees on board the Huey Fong will not be authorised to disembark in Taiwan. A message received by the SS Huey Fong mentions furthermore that the Government of Hong Kong will have already been officially informed of this decision.
In these conditions, to leave Hong Kong for Taiwan would do nothing but uselessly increase their sufferings and even loss of human life.
(ii) The refugees cn board the Huey Fong request that the
High Commissioner for Refugees intervenes with the Government of Hong Kong so that the decision taken on them should be re-examined sympathetically and that the refugeas on board the Huey Fong may be authorized to disembark in Hong Kong without further delay.
To forbid our dis-embarkation at Hong Kong simultaneously with the prohibition given to generous powers to receive us in the present circumstances could be considered, in its own right, as an unjust decision in our regard. To decide to put refugees in prisons could also be (word missing punishment?), would be
really too harsh and unusual.
w
CONFIDENTIAL
機密