61
No. Inly remét muggestion from
These 946
permission to leave Hongkong in his own way.
The position is that the Governor of Hongkong
on his own initiative, and not as the result of
any suggestion from us has issued a deportation
order under which Quoc could have been sent to
Saigon and this order has now been upheld by the
Hongkong courts, subject to an appeal to the
Privy Council. If the decision had been the other
way, we could very well have told the French that
we were not prepared to take the case to the Privy
Council, and that the decision of the courts made
it impossible for us to comply with their wishes.
It is difficult, however, to take this line when
the legal situation is that the man will go to
Saigon unless he can persuade the Privy Council to
reverse the decision of the Hongkong courts.
hat seems to be at the back of everyone's
mind in this discussion is the idea that if Quoc
is sent to French territory he will be executed.
This idea apparently comes entirely from Quoc
himself, (see Hongkong telegram No. 155), and we
do not know whether there is any foundation for it
or not. If, however, quoc has committed a crime
/for