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undertake activities similar to those previously undertaken by the "Ile de lumière". The British Government have conveyed to them
their general reservations and are not aware of any immediate plans for the voluntary agencies to send vessels to the South China Sea for this purpose. The British Government have not given any general undertakings on the acceptance of refugees into the
United Kingdom to private organisations which might wish to sponsor active rescue operations in the South China Sea. This approach derives partly from our general attitude to active rescue, and to our view that refugees who are already awaiting
resettlement in camps in South East Asia and in Hong Kong should
have priority when it comes to movement to countries of final settlement. It is consistent with our general view that people rescued at sea should join the resettlement queue and should not receive preference over those already awaiting resettlement.
5. You will not be surprised if I say a few words about Hong
Kong. As you may know, Hong Kong has a marine search and rescue coordination responsibility which extends South to 15° North. Its
facilities are, however, only capable of providing assistance on
isolated incidents. They have only been called upon once so far in 1979. The coordination facilities available to the Hong Kong Government cannot sustain any standing commitment to refugee boat rescues, nor are the radar or aeroplane facilities of Hong Kong
capable of providing any significant assistance to such a programme. I understand that the analogous search and rescue responsibility South of 15° North rests with the maritime authorities in Singapore, and it is in any case in that area where most of the cases involving refugee vessels in distress occur. Vessels making for Hong Kong generally remain inside Chinese territorial water and are therefore not in the same danger from storms, from pirates or from being turned away from their intended countries of first asylum.