CO129-607-4 Repatriation of exinternees- financial responsibility for passages 2-2-1949 - 29-12-1949 — Page 4

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L 55081/258/47

L 55081/258/48

HMS

Minute of 17th August on 9512/17/45.

listed at (43) on 1947 papers for whom we cannot account, and insofar as concerns the balance of the Ministry's bulk claims, we should explain that, while very ready to do all we can to help, we can make no further move in the matter unless passenger lists are available.

(d) If the Ministry of Transport cannot supply further information, and present indications are that little more will be forthcoming, we shall have no alternative but to reject these claims, although in so doing we should ask for the Ministry's proposals for the disposal of outstanding charges.

7. Meanwhile we can inform the Colonies concerned that the claims at (10) have been received and appear to be in order and ask authority to make payment. In going to the Colonies, however, there are three points which should, I think, be brought out:-

(a) There may be a small "evacuee" element as well as internee.

(i) Women and children evacuated from Hong Kong to Australia under the 1940 of icial evacuation scheme are a responsibility of His Majesty's Government, at that time local reaction to the cost of the scheme falling on Hong Kong funds was so marked that HM. G. agreed to shoulder the cost. Honh Kong hai

been asked my minute of 16th July on these papers and (10) on 55081/22/48) to include costs

of evacuees passages to the United Kingdom in

a claim on H.M.G.

(ii) Evacuees from the other Far Eastern Colonies were eligible for free passages except where an employer was under a liability, paragraph 29 of Colonial Office Memorandum opposite refers. Colonial Governments have copies of this memorandum and we could leave it to those Governments to decide whether to effect recovery,

(b) The second point is the matter of liability for the costs of internges onward passages. As explained in paragraph 2 above, the initial movement was a military responsibility, but I cannot find that we have informed the Colonies concerned that the onward passages were their liability. The war Office directive at (77) on 9512/17/45 is understood to have issued in August to SACSEA. Copies of this directive were carried by Mr. Man to SACSEA and hë confirms that the Military Administrations would have been aware of the arrangement. Colonial Governments must also be aware that they bear the cost of onward passages since those arranged at the instance of the Government's Agents in the Dominions have been charged to the Colony concerned. I do not anticipate any objection from the Malayan Territories but Hong Kong (see paragraph 2 of (10) on 55081/22/48) may object, since, however, Hong Kong received an addition £1,000,000 from H. M. G. in the recent overall financial settlement to meet inter alia,such costs, I do not consider that Hong Kong can have any real objection.

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(c)