CONFIDENTIAL
4
ATTITUDE OF MARITIME NATIONS TO VIETNAMESE BOAT REFUGEES
The following 12 countries are now known to have given commitment to accept for resettlement any refugees picked up by their flag vesse
Australia (on a case by case basis)
Belgium (refugees to be delivered to Belgium, not to
first port of call)
Canada (automatic acceptance)
Denmark (no public commitment)
France (automatic acceptance)
FRG (last resort)
Greece (no public commitment)
Italy (last resort) ́
Netherlands (automatic acceptance)
Norway (last resort)
rescue
Sweden (also meets cost of rescue)
1
USA (last resort)
1
2. The position of Japan has not yet been ascertained, but the Department of Trade are pressing them for a reply.
NUMBE
NUMBER OF REFUGEES PICKED UP OR LIKELY TO BE PICKED UP AT SEA
3. It is impossible to quantify the numbers of refugees whom British ships might rescue over any given period, but the following table of pick-up incidents...in the first five months of 1979 (provided in response to an enquiry by the Department of Trade) suggests that sizeable rescues like that by the Sibonga may be statistically rare:
CONFIDENTIAL
/UK