Mr Hayward
Far Eastern Department
VIETNAMESE REFUGEES:
RESTRICTED
ROACHBANK
HKK.243/1
RECEIVED IN INDSK? NO. 31 2 1 JUN1979
INCO
ло
OFFICIA
PA
REGISTRY Action T
น
228.6 MA20
no/728.6
1175
1. In paragraph 5 of your minute of 20 June you suggested that RAF aircraft might be sent to Hong Kong to pick up the ROACHBANK refugees. This would probably only be acceptable to the Hong Kong Government if the refugees were in direct transit, having been flown from Taiwan. They would be extremely reluctant to allow the ROACHBANK to sail to Hong Kong in order to offload its refugees,
2. As you may know, the Government have decided to send reinforcements to Hong Kong. The first troops will be moving within the next few days in RAF aircraft. It may be that some of these aircraft will be returning empty or only half full. You may want to enquire whether there would be any possibility of bringing some of the ROACHBANK refugees to this country by this means, The contact in the Ministry of Defence is Mr John Miles in DS8 (tel: 218 6214).
21 June 1979
сс
Mr Murray
Mr Simons, SEAD
RESTRICTED
R JT McLaren
Hong Kong and General Department
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