CONFIDENTIAL
RAB
HKK 243
RECEIVED IN PERRY NO! 51 10 CCT 1979
GR 260
CONFIDENTIAL
FM HONG KONG 091208Z OCT 79
TO PRIORITY FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE
TELNO.1400 OF 9 OCTOBER,
INFO PRIORITY SEOUL.
1756
SEOUL TENO.221 TO YOU :
DESK OFFER
INDEX
PA
N
J11.10
SEAD an replying
J
1759
VIETNAMESE REFUGEES : HONG KONG POLICY.
lo IT IS UNFORTUNATE THAT THE KOREANS HAVE PUT ON RECORD THEIR UNDERSTANDING THAT NO GUARANTEE WOULD BE REQUIRED FROM A VESSEL SAILING UNDER THE SOUTH KOREAN FLAG WHICH BROUGHT
REFUGEES TO HONG KONG AS THE FIRST SCHEDULED PORT OF CALL..
ALTHOUGH NO FORMAL ANNOUNCEMENT WAS MADE OF OUR CHANGE OF POLICY, CONSIDERABLE PUBLICITY WAS GIVEN TO THE CASE OF THE ''SIBONGA'' IN MAY WHEN OVER 1,000 REFUGEES WERE ONLY LANDED AFTER A GUARANTEE OF RESETTLEMENT IN THE U.K, DESPITE HONG KONG BEING THE FIRST PORT OF CALL.
2. THE CHANCES OF A KOREAN SHIP COMING HERE WITH REFUGEES
ARE PROBABLY REMOTE: WE HAVE HAD NONE SO FAR NOR HAVE WE HEARD OF ANY RESCUES RECENTLY BY KOREAN SHIPS. BUT WE WOULD
FIND IT EXTREMELY EMBARRASSING NOT TO INSIST ON A GUARANTEE UNIQUELY FROM A KOREAN SHIP, ESPECIALLY IF THE NUMBERS WERE LARGE, WE RECOGNISE, HOWEVER, THAT IT WOULD ALSO BE EMBARRASSING
FOR YOU AND SECUL TO WARN THE KOREANS NOW ABOUT OUR POLICY.
:
CONFIDENTIAL
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