TNAG-0496-FCO40-561-Deportation-of-foreign-nationals-from-Hong-Kong-1974 — Page 87

23.

Mr ale

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125

wy-Roberts

PS/Lord Gorenvy-F

1.

RETURN OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS FROM HONG KONG TO SOUTH VIETNAM

Lord Goronwy-Roberts replied to Mr Ford's first letter on this subject on 1 July. Mr Ford has now written two more letters to the Minister. The first concerns the incident at Kai Tak Airport at the time the illegal immigrants were being sent back to South Vietnam, when a number of arrests were made. We consulted Hong Kong about a reply. Their telegram no. 766 of 19 July sets out the facts, on which we can base a reply to

Mr Ford.

2.

Mr Ford's second letter encloses, for our information, a copy of a letter he has received from the South Vietnamese Ambassador. This seeks to reassure him that the group are being treated properly in the prison at Con Son Island. Insofar as Mr Ford is disposed to believe it, it is helpful. I do not think

it requires any special comment from us.

3.

I accordingly submit a draft reply to both letters.

SEAD agree.

A C Stuart

Hong Kong & Indian Ocean Dept.

22 July 1974

се SEAD

1. Our latest information is that all the 117 have been

removed from Con Son Island. 27 of them (women, old men and children) have been released. And the remainder, 87 men and 3 women, are at present in prisons in or near Saigon. I have thus changed one word in the draft. I see no point at this stage in volunteering the whereabouts information.

PR Male

P JE Male

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23 July 1974

fr 2317

CONFIDENTIAL