(3002) Dmd. 145244 400M 10/73 L.Ltd. 83971
NOTHING TO BE WRITTEN IN THIS MARGIN
DRAFT LETTER
Type 1 +
Registry No.
SECURITY CLASSIFICATION
Top Secret.
Secret.
Confidential.
Restricted.
Unclassified,
PRIVACY MARKING
In Confidence
To:-
FLAG C
Martin Ennals Esq
International Secretariat Amnesty International
53 Theobald's Road
LONDON WC1X 8SP
FROM
Lord Goronwy-Roberts
Telephone No. Ext.
Department
I was very glad to receive your letter of
19 November and welcome your frank admission that the
information on which you based your earlier allegations
of illtreatment of 118 illegal immigrants to Hong Kong
and returned to South Vietnam was unsatisfactory and
in certain respects exaggerated. I agree with you
that publicity can be useful in some cases of this
nature. But public concern, if it is to be effective,
must be based on facts; otherwise those involved in
giving publicity to unsubstantiated allegations simply
undermine their own credibility.
In this particular case you will recall that
publicity came after HMG had taken action within its
power to ensure that these unfortunate people were
fairly treated. Nevertheless unchecked allegations
were given currency in the weekly and daily press in
this country that a number of them were already dead
and implying that HMG had a measure of responsibility.
I am well aware of the importance, to which you
refer, of proper procedures for handling deportation
cases of this kind. As I explained in my letter to
you of 11 September, the 119 South Vietnamese
concerned were not treated as a group without regard
to individual rights.
/Lord Janner
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