Cypher
COM
SECRET
INWARD TELEGRAM
TO THE COMMONWEALTH OFFICE (The Secretary of State)
FROM HONG KONG (Sir D. Trench)
D. 17th January, 1967 R. 17th
11
10.48 hrs.
REC.
ARCHIV
17 JA
HWB3/3
15
LAST
REF
REAT
REF.
IMMEDIATE SECRET No. 71
Addressed to Commonwealth Office Repeated to Lisbon M43
11
11
#t
Peking No. 33
Washington No. 21
POLAD Singapore No. 11
(Commonwealth Office please pass
IMMEDIATE to Lisbon, PRIORITY to all others)
14
(14)
My telegram No. 68.
Macao,
4.
In view of present unorganised exodus of Portuguese Nationals to Hong Kong, it might be useful to impress on Portuguese Ambassador that any of their Nationals who come here whether on their own or under Macao Government auspices should be eligible for onward transport to other Portuguese territories in due course if necessary.
2.
In view of the figures quoted by the Portuguese Ambassador, I am making contingency plans to provide accommodation for a maximum of 3,000 Portuguese Nationals unable to find accommodation for themselves. Most suitable place would be the police detention compound on Chatham Road in Kowloon which will in fact take up to 5,000. The camp would be controlled by the Chief Staff Officer of the Civil Aid Services, i.e. not by the Army. We would simply provide accommodation (to a quite reasonable standard) and would ask the Portuguese Consul General to arrange catering and laundry services through a contractor.
3. My intention would be in the event of evacuation to detain other refugees from Macao who are not Portuguese citizens and have no proper documentation in another separate section of the camp until they can be screened.
4. It will need two or three days to get the camp properly organised for reception. Clearly I cannot start making any physical arrangements until I receive instructions on reply to be made to the Portuguese and am no longer bound
SECRET
/by
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