TNAG-0497-FCO40-562-Deportation-of-foreign-nationals-from-Hong-Kong-1974 — Page 110

CONFIDENTIAL

Foreign and Commonwealth Office London SW1

Miss A M Warburton CVO

UKMIS GENEVA

Telephone 01-

LAST

REF

(244)

REF.

240

H

2x8

Your reference

UN 2/12

Our reference

Date

IIKK 14/5 15 August 1974

Jew in Warburton,

SOUTH VIMTNAMESE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS IN HONG KONG

1.

Thank you for your letter of 6 August to Andrew Stuart, who is also on leave.

2.

Largely due to the efforts of Amnesty International, the fate of the group of South Vietnamese returned to Saigon on 17 June has continued to attract widespread publicity. Amnesty have pressed Lord Goronwy-Roberts, too, to institute an "impartial international enquiry". enclose copies of Amnesty's latest letters, together with Lord Goronwy-Roberts's replies.

3.

In order to bring yourself generally up to date, you may like to look at the,englosed notes which describe the case history so far - we get further instalments almost daily. The first six paragraphs provide & factual background to the group's welfare and the South Vietnamese assurances. You will see that the group all left Con Son Island some time ago and that Amnesty's principal allegations have The been categorically denied by the South Vietnamese Government. next section summarises an exchange of telegrams with The Hague, Paris and Canberra by which we confirmed that there was no substance in claims by Amnesty that the Netherlands, French and Australian Governments had offered to give some members of the group asylum. Finally there is a short summary of what our Embassy in Saigon have been able to do. Fr Sanguinetti (see, para. 14) is a Hong Kong lawyer (in origin a Gibraltarian, I believe, and once

I believe, and once a Crown Counsel in Hong Kong) who recently visited Saigon on Amnesty's behalf. As far as we know, he

is now either in London or on his way here. We shall no doubt hear a lot more about his impression that the Vietnamese assurances have' been invalidated.

We shall try to keep you informed of further major developments. Meanwhile I think that we can leave to your discretion how much further information you pass on to Mr Kelly.

/5.