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the US/Soviet communiqué was an improvement on some Soviet statements in its call to "all parties concerned" to observe the Paris Agreement. The usual Soviet formula referred to the need for South Vietnam and the US to act and assumed full compliance by Hanoi.
7. Mr Hattersley referred to the recent repatriation of illegal
There was considerable immigrants into Hong Kong back to South Vietnam. press and parliamentary interest in the fate of these illegal immigrants.
The South Vietnamese Government had given the Government of Hong Kong certain assurances which he was sure would be fully respected. Mr Bac said he could at once assure the Minister that the immigrants would be well treated. The 118 immigrants who had violated
He could confirm the the law on immigration would be properly treated. assurances previously given that they would be treated fairly, would have a trial in open court and would not receive unduly harsh punishment. In particular the women and the draft dodgers would be treated lightly. Mr Hattersley recognised that there might be amongst the group persons who had committed criminal offences separate from the immigration charge. We naturally understood that the South Vietnamese authorities would need to treat them in accordance with the law.
Mr Bac said that even in the case of one of the returned immigrants who had been convicted as a smuggler in absentia and sentenced to death, his capital sentence had been commuted to life imprisonment on 3 July. 8.
Mr Hattersley thanked the Foreign Minister for these assurances and hoped that, given the press and parliamentary interest, the Foreign Minister would see no objection to public reference being made to this conversation should it be necessary.
Mr Bac readily agreed.
Distribution
Private Secretary
P3 to Mr Ennals
PS to Mr Hattersley
TS to Lord Goronwy-Roberts
Sir J Killick
Mr Wilford
Mr Male
Mr Hankey
SEAD
N Am D
✓
TOD News Dept
Chanceries: Saigon
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Hanoi
Vientiane
Thuon Penh
Bangkok Peking
Washington
Moscow
Paris
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