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HKK 243/1
REGISTRY NO
CONFIDENTIAL
SECRETARY OF STATE FOR TRADE OFFICE MINUTE NO:
873/74
1005
7/6
NOTE OF THE SECRETARY OF STATE'S MEETING WITH THE GENERAL COUNCIL OF BRITISH SHIPPING (GCBS) HELD AT 17.00 ON TUESDAY 5 JUNE 1979
OFFICER
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Secretary of State for Trade
Mr M Morris Mr M Graham
Mr M E Head Mr R P Flower
Mr A Swire Lord Inverforth
Mr W P Shovelton
Shipping Policy D/Trade Shipping Policy D/Trade Home Office SEAD FCO
Vice President, GCBS
(Bank Line) Director-General, GCBS
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Mr Murar Mr Swire apologised for the absence of the Council's President
Mr Ropner, who had been unable to attend the meeting. The GCBS had asked for a meeting with the Secretary of State in order to express their grave concern at the Government's present policy towards the problem of refugees from Vietnam. As shipowners, they had been placed, by recent Government decisions, in an absolutely impossible position. On the one hand, the Government rightly expected them to honour their legal and moral obligations to pick up people in distress on the seas; but, on the other hand, the Government did not appear to be ready to assist the industry by adopting policies which would allow these passengers to disembark rapidly when the ship reached port. This dilemma created very grave problems for the industry and the Council hoped that the Government could clarify its policy so that the industry had an assurance that by meeting its legal and moral obligations, it would not thereby be penalised.
2.
The Secretary of State assured the delegation that the interests of the British shipping industry had been well represented in the Government's consideration of this vexed and difficult issue. Full account had been taken of the representations which had been made by the industry as a whole, and by the Bank Line in particular, to the Prime Minister and his colleagues and him. Their letters on the issue had been most helpful. The first point on which there was no disagreement was that the United Kingdom had an obligation under international law to continue to require Masters of its vessels to offer assistance to those in distress on the sea. The Government was not seeking in any way to retract from that clear legal and moral position. Moreover, he had no doubt that British Masters would themselves feel a moral obligation to rescue people in distress. The problem therefore arose when British vessels came to discharge their passengers.
Few, if any, countries were now prepared to accept additional numbers of refugees for settlement. The point at issue, therefore, was whether the United Kingdom should give an open-ended commitment to accept any refugees rescued by British ships in any circumstances for settlement, albeit temporary, in the United Kingdom if they could not be found a refuge elsewhere. The previous government had given such a commitment but this had been in very different circumstances. At that time,
At that time, few people had anticipated that the numbers of refugees involved in the migration from Vietnam would grow to such large proportions. The problem could now only be dealt with by international action. That was why the Government