GPS 410
CONFIDENTIAL
ONFIDENTIAL
FM HONG KONG 180847Z OCT 79
HKK 24311
RECEIVED IN REGISTRY NO! 51 19 OCT 1979
DESK OFFICER
INDEX
PA
REGISTRY Action Take,
187 ૧૪
PA
TO IMMEDIATE MANILA
TELNO.86 OF 18 OCTOBER,
INFO PRIORITY: F.C.0,
ROUTINE : UKMIS GENEVA, WASHINGTON, HANOI, KUALA LUMPUR,
CANBERRA, SINGAPORE, BANGKOK, JAKARTA,
HONG KONG GOVT OFFICE LONDON.
SUSPECT REFUGEE SHIP: 'HIGH GLORY'»
1. ON 15TH OCTOBER, THE M.V. 'HIGH GLORY', TAIWANESE OWNED, PANAMANIAN FLAG, 1712 GROSS REGISTERED TONNAGE, TAIWANESE MASTER
THE AND CREW, ENTERED HONG KONG UNDER NORMAL CIRCUMSTANCES, VESSEL WAS CLEARED AND WENT TO A BUOY BOOKED ALREADY BY HER HONG KONG AGENTS, HAI THONG SHIPPING CO.LTD., WHICH HAS APPEARED ON OUR LIST OF SUSPECT SHIPPING AGENTS.
2.
ON 17TH OCTOBER A ROUTINE INSPECTION REVEALED THAT SHE WAS SHE WAS IMPROPERLY MOORED WITH ROPES INSTEAD OF ANCHOR CHAINS, ALSO FOUND TO HAVE NO CREW ON BOARD. A THOROUGH SEARCH OF THE VESSEL REVEALED THAT THE VESSEL HAD NO ANCHORS, NO LOG BOOKS, LESS THAN TWO TONS OF FUEL, ONLY SEVEN TONS OF WATER, A CHART OF GUAM FOUND UNDER THE MASTER'S BUNK AND A SOPHISTICATED, LIGHT INTENSIFYING DEVICE, TWO VHF RADIO-TRANSCEIVERS AND AN
THE VESSEL ENGLISH/VIETNAMESE DICTIONARY WERE FOUND ON BOARD.
VAO SWEPT CLEAN TO THE EXTENT THAT EVEN NORMAL ODDS AND ENDS FOUND ON A WELL-FOUND SHIP WERE ABSENT. THERE WERE, HOWEVER, AN ABNORMAL NUMBER OF RATS ON BOARD.
3.
HE STATED THAT
THE MASTER WAS LOCATED ON 17TH OCTOBER. THE SHIP HAD BEEN UNDER ARREST IN BANJAR MASIN, INDONESIA BUT
HE CLAIMS TO HAVE MANAGED TO ABSCOND AT THE END OF SEPTEMBER. SAILED TO PALAWAN WHERE HE ANCHORED FROM 5TH TO 8TH OCTOBER TO SHELTER FROM TYPHOON 'SARAH'. HE SAYS HE LOST HIS ANCHORS AS A RESULT OF THE HIGH WINDS
BUT THIS IS UNLIKELY BECAUSE THE MAXIMUM GUST EXPERIENCED IN NORTHERN PALAWAN WAS 55 KNOTS AND ONLY 15 KNOTS IN SOUTHERN PALAWAN.
SEMI-COLON
CONFIDENTIAL
HE HAS NOT
•/SATISFACTORILY