Registry
No.
SECURITY CLASSIFICATION
Top Secret,
Secret.
Confidential.
Restricted.
Unclassified.
PRIVACY MARKING
In Confidence
CONFIDENTIAL
DRAFT
SUBMISSION
To:-
Miss Brown
П
Type 1 +
From
DSR 11
1437
Telephone No. Ext.
PS/Mr Hurd
Private Secretary
CC: PS/Lord Privy Seal
PS/Mr Blaker
Mr Murray
SEAD
HK&GD
Department
HKK 24?
DESK O
по ірж
#
PROBLEM
1. The shipping industry is pressing for an assurance
that refugees picked up by British ships will automatically
be accepted for resettlement.
RECOMMENDATION
2. I recommend that the Secretary of State writes
to Mr Nott on the lines of the attached draft.
BACKGROUND AND ARGUMENT
3. The shipping industry is concerned about the
considerable problems faced by shipmasters and the
liabilities, including penalties for failure to deliver
on time faced by shipowners in the present situation.
Refugees are most likely to be picked up on the northbound
route which follows the coast. Ports on this route,
Hong Kong apart, are unlikely to offer a temporary
asylum under the first port of call principle or will
only do so when the flag state guarantees to resettle
the refugees within a fixed period.
4.
Mr Ropner, President of the General Council of
CONFIDENTIAL
/British
Dd 0532000 800M 5/78 HMSO. Brocknall