GRS 300
CONFIDENTIAL
CONFIDENTIAL
HKK 243/1
RECEIVED **
891
3
FM HONG KONG 010715Z JUN 79
TO IMMEDIATE F CO
TELEGRAM NUMBER 703 OF 1 JUNE
INFO HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE LONDON
871 YOUR TELNO 354: VIETNAMESE REFUGEES:
DESK OFFIC
INDEX
''RO ACHBANK''
82.6
ве
1. WE SEE NO POSSIBILITY IN PRESENT CIRCUMSTANCES OF ALLOWING ENTRY TO ANY SHIP WHICH HAS RESCUED REFUGEES AND FOR WHICH HONG KONG
IS NOT THE FIRST PORT OF CALL. THE ONLY EXCEPTIONS WE ENVISAGE WOULD BE ON URGENT HUMANITARIAN GROUNDS (EG FIRE OR URGENT MEDICAL REQUIREMENTS) WHEN HONG KONG WAS THE NEAREST PORT AT THE TIME WHEN THE EMERGENCY OCCURRED. PRACTICAL DIFFICULTIES OVER TRANSIT ARRANGEMENTS AT THE FIRST PORT OF CALL WOULD NOT BE SEEN LOCALLY AS JUSTIFYING AN EXCEPTION WHICH WOULD ENCOURAGE OTHER
SHIPS TO DIVERT TO HONG KONG.
2. WE HOPE THAT ANY PRACTICAL DIFFICULTIES IN FLYING THE REFUGEES TO THE UK (YOUR PARA 2(A)) COULD BE RESOLVED EVEN MORE QUICKLY THAN IN THE CASE OF ''WELLPARK'' SINCE I CEM HAVE GOOD LINKS WITH TAIWAN. WE HAD IN FACT SUGGESTED THAT THEY SET UP AN OFFICE THERE IN THE AFTERMATH OF THE ''HUEY FONG''. STEWART OF THE LOCAL ICEM OFFICE HAS TOLD US THAT THIS WAS SONE FOR A SHORT PERIOD BUT WAS DISCONTINUED BECAUSE OF THE LACK OF ONWARD MOVEMENT FROM TAIWAN TO THE U.S. HOWEVER, HE WOULD BE PREPARED TO SEND SOMEONE AGAIN TO TAIWAN AT SHORT NOTICE AND SEES NO DIFFICULTY IN GETTING AUTHORISATION FROM HIS HEADQUARTERS.
3. WE SPOKE TO STEWART IN STRICT CONFIDENCE ABOUT THE 'RO ACHBANK''
PROBLEM. ON THE BASIS OF EARLIER VISITS TO TAIWAN HE BELIEVES
CONFIDENTIAL
LAN