1921
GRS 553
CONFIDENTIAL
FM HONG KONG 240839Z DEC 79
TO PRIORITY F C O
CONFIDENTIAL
TELEGRAM NUMBER 1798 OF 24 DECEMBER
HKK 243/1 RECEIVED IN HEY NO. SI
27PA
DESK OFFICE INDEX
INFO PRIORITY UKMIS GENEVA, WASHINGTON, CANBERRA.
INFO ROUTINE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE LONDON, OTTAWA,
UKMIS NEW YORK, MANILA, KUALA LUMPUR, SINGAPORE, BANGKOK, JAKARTA, HANOI (BANGKOK PLEASE PASS).
MY TELNO 1756 (NOT TO ALL): VIETNAMESE REFUGEE MORATORIUM.
27
Sex (192
(101201)
1932
1. THERE HAVE BEEN A NUMBER OF DISTURBING SIGNS RECENTLY THAT
VIETNAM'S MORATORIUM ON ''DISORDERLY DEPARTURES'' MAY NOT
LAST MUCH LONGER.
2. FIRSTLY, THERE IS INCREASING EVIDENCE OF ACCEPTANCE OF BRIBES
BY VIETNAMESE OFFICIALS TO TURN A BLIND EYE TO CLANDESTINE
DEPARTURES, RECENT CASES HAVE ALL CONCERNED BOATLOADS OF
ETHNIC VIETNAMESE, TWO SMALL BOATS WHICH LEFT DANANG ON 9 DECEMBER
HAD PAID 5 TAELS OF GOLD TO LOCAL PSB OFFICIALS AND 40 TAELS
WERE PAID ON DEPARTURE BY THE 122 REFUGEES WHO LEFT VUNG TAU
ON, 15 DECEMBER AND WERE SUBSEQUENTLY RESCUED BY THE DANISH SHIP
SIMBA''. FOR THE PRECEDING 2 MONTHS NONE OF THE SMALL NUMBER OF REFUGEES ARRIVING FROM SOUTHERN OR CENTRAL VIETNAM HAVE REPORTED PAYING BRIBES.
3. SECONDLY, MONEY AGENTS IN HONG KONG (WHO TRANSMIT FUNDS ON BEHALF OF RELATIVES ELSEWHERE TO MEMBERS OF THEIR FAMILY IN VIETNAM) WERE VIRTUALLY INACTIVE FOLLOWING THE GENEVA CONFERENCE.
ABOUT MID-SEPTEMBER THEIR BUSINESS STARTED TO PICK UP. THEIR ACTIVITIES HAVE RECENTLY INCREASED CONSIDERABLY, ALTHOUGH NOT
YET TO THE LEVEL OF JUNE AND EARLY JULY. THERE HAVE BEEN REPORTS
THAT THE AMOUNTS WHICH WILL BE NEEDED TO PAY FOR TRANSPORT OUT
OF VIETNAM ARE 3 TAELS OF GOLD PER ADULT AND HALF THAT FOR CHILDREN (THIS IS ABOUT ONE THIRD TO ONE QUARTER OF THE RATE DURING THE OFFICIALLY ORGANIZED EXODUS EARLIER THIS YEAR).
*
'CONFIDENTIAL
/4. THIRDLY