GR 210
CONFIDENMAL
CONFIDENTIAL
FM HONG KONG 120600Z JUL
TO PRIORITY F C O
TELEGRAM NUMBER 977 OF 12 JULY, 1979
INFO PRIORITY SINGAPORE AND OSLO.
Hkk 243 1
PA
MY TELEGRAM NO. 965 (NOT TO OSLO): VIETNAMESE REFUGEES
CHARTERING OF SHIPS BY CHARITABLE ORGANISATIONS.
1. AT THIS END WE HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO OBTAIN THROUGH OUR
MARINE CHANNELS ANY MORE INFORMATION FROM THE LONDON BROKER
ABOUT THE PROSPECTIVE CHARTERERS. WE UNDERSTAND THAT HE IS
RELUCTANT TO DISCLOSE THE INFORMATION. YOU MAY HOWEVER BE IN
A BETTER POSITION TO FIND OUT. THE ONLY NEW POINT THAT HAS
EMERGED HERE IS THAT THE CHARTERERS ARE NOW DESCRIBED AS, AN INTERNATIONAL CHARITABLE ORGANISATION, SO OUR PRESUMPTION OF BRITISH PROVENANCE MAY BE WRONG.
354
2. WE HAVE ALSO HAD INFORMATION ABOUT AN APPROACH TO THE BALTIC
EXCHANGE BY A NORWEGIAN HUMANITARIAN MISSION. THIS ORGANISATION IS SEEKING TO CHARTER A ''TWEEN-DECK'' VESSEL OF 5 - 7,000 TONS DEAD WIEGHT, 15 20 YEARS OLD, AVAILABLE PROMPTLY IN SINGAPORE, TO BE USED FOR 2 4 WEEKS, TO BE RETURNED IN THE FAR EAST AT THE END OF THE CHARTER, NO FLAG SPECIFIED. YOU MAY WISH TO CONSIDER WHETHER THE NORWEGIAN AUTHORITIES SHOULD BE NOTIFIED INFORMALLY.
MACLEHOSE
S4
FILES
SEAD
NEWS D M & VD
HK & GD
UND
FED
EESD
N AM D
SAD
EID
PUSD
OID
IPD WED
PS PS/LPS
PS/MR HURD PS/MR BLAKER PS/PUS
SIR A DUFF
SIR A PARSONS
MR CORTAZZI
MR MURRAY
MR STRATTON
LORD NG-LENNOX
ADDITIONAL DISTN
BOAT PEOPLE
CONFIDENTAL