CONFIDENTIAL
*MKD 243/21
165764
MDLIAN 4217
CONFIDENTIAL
FM HONG KONG
TO PRIORITY FCO
TELNO 1236
OF 19103OZ APRIL 89
INFO PRIORITY PEKING, HANOI, UKMIS GENEVA
TOP COPY Q DIST ?
VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE: ILLEGAL DEPARTURES: COAST HOPPING
1. RECENT ARRIVALS HAVE REPORTED THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION ON ILLEGAL DEPARTURES FROM VIETNAM AND ASSISTANCE RECEIVED DURING
COAST HOPPING :
(A) 23 VBP IN ONE BOAT ARRIVED ON 14 APRIL. THEY LEFT CENTRAL VIETNAM IN MID-MARCH AND MADE 5 STOPS IN CHINA BEFORE ARRIVING IN HONG KONG. THEY WERE EXAMINED AND REPLENISHED WITH PROVISIONS BY LOCAL OFFICIALS AT YING GE HE AND QING LAN GANG CHAI NAN):
(B) 26 VBP IN ANOTHER BOAT ARRIVED ON 14 APRIL. THE MAIN GROUP OF 19 LEFT CUA ONG IN NORTHERN VIETNAM ON 1 MARCH AND MADE 4 STOPS
IN CHINA WITHOUT RECEIVING ANY ASSISTANCE FROM LOCAL OFFICIALS. THEIR BOAT WAS DAMAGED ON ARRIVAL IN MACAU WHERE THEY STAYED IN A CAMP. SUBSEQUENTLY, MACAU OFFICIALS ARRANGED FOR 7 OTHER VBP TO JOIN THEM AND PROVIDED THE GROUP WITH ANOTHER BOAT TO LEAVE MACAU.
THEY SAID THAT THEIR BOAT WAS TOWED OUT OF MACAU WATERS BY THE QUOTE
POLICE UNQUOTE.
(C) 33 VBP IN ONE BOAT ARRIVED ON 16 APRIL. THE MAIN GROUP OF 27 LEFT CAT BA IN NORTHERN VIETNAM ON 28 MARCH. THROUGH ARRANGEMENTS MADE BY THE BOAT-MASTER AND A MIDDLE MAN NAMED NHANH, 8 VBP LEFT CAT BA WITH THE BOAT, WHILE 19 OTHERS WERE TRANSFERRED TO THE BOAT BY A MILITARY CARGO VESSEL SEVERAL HOURS LATER AT BEI BU GULF. WHEN THEY SAILED NEAR DAO BACH LONG VI, THEY WERE STOPPED BY VIETNAMESE OFFICIALS. HOWEVER, THEY WERE ALLOWED TO CONTINUE THEIR JOURNEY AFTER GIVING THE OFFICIALS 0.6 TAEL OF GOLD. DURING THEIR STOPS AT HAI KOU OF HAI NAN DAO, THEY WERE EXAMINED AND REPLENISHED BY LOCAL OFFICIALS. THE LOCAL OFFICIALS ALSO
ARRANGED FOR 6 OTHER VBP TO JOIN THE GROUP AND HELPED THEM TO
PURCHASE A NEW ENGINE FOR THEIR BOAT.
WILSON
PAGE 1 CONFIDENTIAL