610
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некада
TYLO NA ALGARY NI
INDEX
- 8 NOV 1979
RICER ΡΑ
TRE
CONFIDENTIAL
FM HONG KONG 0712042 NOV 79
TO FRIORITY FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE
TEL NO.1571 OF 7 NOVEMBER,
INFO PRIORITY: KUALA LUMPUR BANGKOK
ROUTINE : UKMIS GENEVA
WASHINGTON
Sex 1.863
set
CANBERRA
OTTAWA OSLO
INFO SAVING
1836
BONN PARIS H.K.GOVT OFFICE LONDON
HANOI.
1.
K.L TELNO.404 TO FCO (NOT TO ALL): VIETNAMESE REFUGEES.
OUR PRESENT POLICY ON TEMPORARY ASYLUM (REFTEL PARA.1B) IS THAT ALL REFUGEES ARRIVING IN SMALL BOATS FROM VIETNAM ARE LANDED
· TEMPORARILY AGAINST AN UNDERTAKING BY UNHCR TO MEET CARE AND MAINTENANCE COSTS AND TO MAKE THEIR BEST EFFORTS TO ARRANGE EARLY
RESETTLEMENT OVERSEAS. NO SMALL BOATS HAVE BEEN TURNED AWAY. REFUGEES RESCUED AT SEA BY COMMERCIAL VESSELS WHOSE NEXT SCHEDULED
PORT OF CALL AFTER RESCUE IS HONG KONG ARE ALLOWED ASHORE PROVIDED
A GUARANTEE OF RESETTLEMENT WITHIN A REASONABLE PERIOD IS GIVEN BY THE COUNTRY UNDER WHOSE FLAG THE VESSEL IS SAILING (OR THE COUNTRY OF THE OWNER/OPERATOR).
2. DURING OCTOBER 572 BOAT REFUGEES FROM VIETNAM ARRIVED IN
HONG KONG, ALL BY SEA. MOST CAME ON SMALL BOATS BUT 86 WERE RESCUED AT SEA BY OCEAN-GOING VESSELS,
3.
REFUGEES RESCUED AT SEA IN OCTOBER INCLUDED 35 ETHNIC
VIETNAMESE REFUGEES PICKED UP ON 18 OCTOBER AT 05 DEGS 14 MINS NORTH, 106 DEGS 50 MINS EAST (ABOUT 230 MILES S.S.W OF VUNG TAU)
BY THE NORWEGIAN CONTAINER SHIP 'BARBER TAIF'. ACCORDING TO THE REFUGEES THEIR BOAT LEFT THE VUNG TAU AREA WITH 21 REFUGEES ON
8 OCTOBER AND REACHED KUANTUAN ON 11 OCTOBER WHERE IT ANCHORED FOR TWO DAYS (WITHOUT FOOD OR WATER BEING SUPPLIED) BEFORE BEING TOWED INSHORE. ON 15 OCTOBER PATROL CRAFT P3146 CAME ALONGSIDE
AND SEIZED MAPS AND COMPASSES ABOARD. IT THEN TOWED THE BOAT TO AA PENDEZVOUS ON 16 OCTOBER WITH P41, WHICH HAD ANOTHER BOAT
CONFIDENTIAL
| ALONGSIDE.