TNAG-0497-FCO40-562-Deportation-of-foreign-nationals-from-Hong-Kong-1974 — Page 179

CONFIDENTIAL

United Kingdom Mission

37-39 rue de Vermont 1202 Geneva

Telex 22956

MON

Telegrams Prodrome Geneva Telephone 34 38 00 33 23 85

Your reference

A C Stuart Esq

Hong Kong & Indian Ocean Department FCO

Our reference UN 2/12

Date

6 August 1974

LAST

REF.

152

2014

Dear Andrew,

NEXT

REF.

SOUTH VIETNAMESE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS IN HONG KONG

1 We were grateful for your letter HKK 14/5 of 23 July to the Ambassador, who is now on leave. We were a little slow on going back to the UN High Commission for refugees, because of Cyprus preoccupations, but on 2 August I discussed the contents of your letter with Mr John Kelly, who is in charge of protection in the UN HCÊ, I gave him a copy of the PQ and reply and talked to him pretty fully on the basis of your letter, since we have good experience of the discretion of the High Commission in these matters. He very much took your point about the pressures on Hong Kong, was interested to know not only that we had had assurances but that we had reminded the South Vietnamese Government of them, and was also much interested in the views you express about the prison on Con Son Island.

2 The timing of this conversation was determined by the High Commissioner having received a telegram on 2 August from Martin Ennals of Amnesty. This reported that 14 of the South Vietnamese returned immigrants had died of injuries in Con Son Prison and that 21 had been sent to the front lines without military training. Amnesty asked for an impartial international inquiry. Mr Kelly said that such an inquiry was not in question, and that they were replying to Amnesty merely that they were making Enquiries. I asked whether those enquiries would include the South Vietnamese Government. Mr Kelly said that they had not approached that Government because the people in question had been refugees in Hong Kong and the UN HCR had not standing when they were in their own country. I think he realises that we may well not be able to give them much help, but if there is anything more we can say I am sure it will be appreciated. Mr Kelly supposed that you might have received a similar approach from Amnesty.

Yours

ever,

cc HE Mr JCW Bushell

CMG Saigon

A E Donald Esq (Political Adviser

Anne Warburten.

Miss A M Warburton

Hong Kong)

CONFIDENTI AL