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AFIDENTIAL
FM SEOUL 1836472 OCT 79
CONFIDENTIAL
HKK 2431
RECEIVED "MASA-SMY NO. 57 19.00 979
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
DESK OFFICER
REGISTRY
INDEX
PA
Action
TELEGRAM NUMBER 237 OF 18 OCTOBER
INFO IMMEDIATE OTTAWA
IMMEDIATE UKMIS GENEVA
IMMEDIATE HAMILTON
IMMEDIATE WASHINGTON
IPA
(789)
PRIORITY HONG KONG
PRIORITY MANJEA
N
YOUR TELNO 172 VIETNAMESE REFUGEES: T.G. SHAUGHNESSY
1. WE HAVE INFORMED THE MFA BY TELEPHONE AND NOTE VERBALE.
THEY HAD NOT RECEIVED WORD YET FROM ANY OTHER SOURCE. THEY TOOK
ROTE OF OUR REQUEST TO GRANT TEMPORARY ASYLUM AND PROMISED TO
CONSIDER IT.
2. WE HAVE DISCUSSED THE CASE WITH THE CANADIAN EMBASSY WHOSE FIRST REACTION WAS THAT THE COUNTRY OF REGISTRATION SHOULD BE
RESPONSIBLE FOR THE REFUGEES. WE SPOKE ON THE LINES OF PARA- GRAPH 3 OF YOUR TELNO 155 OF 21 SEPTEMBER (NOT TO ALL),
1810
SAYING THAT THE BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP IS LIKELY TO BE AN IMPORTANT
CONSIDERATION.
3. THE US EMBASSY HAVE APPARENTLY BEEN TOLD BY THE STATE DEPART- MENT THAT THEY REGARD THE UK AS RESPONSIBLE. THE US INTEND TO AVOID INVOLVEMENT UNLESS ANY OF THE REFUGEES HAVE LINKS WITH
AMERICA,
4. WE EXPECT THE KOREANS TO BE VERY RELUCTANT TO GRANT TEMPORARY ASYLUM WITHOUT A FIRM GUARANTEE FROM SOMEONE. THEY WILL CLAIM THAT THE CAMP AT BUSAN IS NOW GROSSLY OVERCROWDED BY ACCEPTANCE
OF THE ALARIC REFUGEES. AS YOU WELL KNOW, THE KOREANS STRESSED IN THE ALARIC CASE THAT THEY ACCEPTED THE REFUGEES EXCEPTIONALLY IN RECOGNITION OF THE GOOD RELATIONS BETWEEN THE ROK AND THE UK
(OUR TELNO 213). YOU WILL NO DOUBT WISH TO CONSIDER CAREFULLY HOW FAR HMG SHOULD PRESS THEN THIS TIME GIVEN THAT THERE SEEMS TO BE EVEN LESS DIRECT BRITISH RESPONSIBILITY
CONFIDENTIAL
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