HKK 2431
RECEIVEO
DESK OFFI
INDEX
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CONFIDENTIAL
FM FCO 242230Z MAY 79
TO PRIORITY HANOI
TELEGRAM NUMBER 88 OF 24 MAY
FOLLOWING TELEGRAM NOW REPEATED TO YOU AT REQUEST OF DEPARTMENT WAS RECEIVED FROM HONG KONG TELEGRAM NO 634 OF 24 MAY.
INFO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE LONDON, UKMIS GENEVA, INFO PRIORITY WASHINGTON.
YOUR TELNO 309: VIETNAMESE REFUGEES: ''SI BONGA'': SITREP 710 -
ON 24 MAY.
1.
THE **
SIBONGA'' ANCHORED AS INSTRUCTED THIS MORNING OUTSIDE HONG KONG WATERS 2 MILES SOUTH OF PO TOI ISLAND. THERE ARE 982 REFUGEES ON BOARD OF WHOM 242 ARE CHILDREN UNDER 11. VIRTUALLY ALL ARE ETHNIC CHINESE AND MOST ARE FROM SOUTH VIETNAM. THERE ARE A SMALL NUMBER OF NORTHERNERS AND SOME ETHNIC CHINESE CAMBODIANS WHO CLAIM TO HAVE GONE TO VITNAM TWO OR THREE YEARS AGO. CONDITIONS ON BOARD ARE GENERALLY GOOD. AFTER A MEDICAL INSPECTION 1 BABY AND 1 WOMAN WERE TAKEN TO HOSPITAL. THE LOCAL AGENTS ARE TAKING CARE OF PROVISIONS, WATER ETC.
2. THE SHIP'S LOG HAS BEEN EXAMINED. IT RECORDS THAT THE MASTER ANSWERED DISTRESS SIGNALS FROM A 65 FT VIENTAMESE BOAT REGISTRATION NO TG 082 AT 9824 HOURS ON 21 MAY. THE POSITION WAS 7 DEGREES 21 MINUTES NORTH AND 106 DEGREES 01 MINUTES EAST. THERE WERE ABOUT 600 REFUGEES ON BOARD AND THE BOAT MASTER CLAIMED THAT HE HAD LITTLE FOOD OR WATER AND INSUFFICIENT FUEL TO REACH LAND. HE CLAIMED THE BOAT WAS LEAKING,DTHAT THE PUMPS WERE NOT WORKING AND THAT 5 CHILDREN HAD DIED THE PREVIOUS NIGHT. WHILE THESE REFUGEES WERE TAKEN ON BOARD THERE WERE DISTRESS FLARES FROM ANOTHER BOAT SOME 5 MILES AWAY. THIS WAS A 45 FT LONG WITH OVER 300 REFUGEES ON BOARD, WHO WERE THEN TAKEN ABORD. EXAMINATION SO FAR HAS SHOWN NO EVIDENCE THAT THIS WAS NOT A GENUINE RESCUE.
3.
REPRESENTATIVES FROM EACH OF THE ORIGINAL VESSELS HAVE GIVEN MARINE POLICE THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION. BOTH BOATS LEFT MY THO (70 MILES SOUTH OF HO CHI MINH CITY) AT 2300 HOURS ON
8 MAY. THE DEPARTURE WAS PLANNED: A TOTAL OF 4,000 TAELS OF GOLD WAS PAID THREE DAYS BEFORE DEPARTURE TO THE VIETNAMESE AUTHORITIES AND THE BOATS WERE PURCHASED FOR A FURTHER 500 TAELS EACH. THE MASTER OF THE ''SIBONGA' HAS ALSO INFORMED US THAT THE BOATS WERE PROVIDES WITH TIERED DECKING TO ACCOMMODATE THE LARGE NUMBERS OF REFUGEES. THE REFUGEES CLAIM THEY WERE MAKING FOR MALAYSIA.
4. AFTER ANCHORING, THE MASTER ASKED FOR PERMISSION TO ENTER. THIS WAS REFUSED, ''PENDING INSPECTION FORMALITIES''.
CARRINGTON
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