TNAG-0498-FCO40-563-Deportation-of-foreign-nationals-from-Hong-Kong-1974 — Page 62

CONFIDENTIAL

Foreign and Commonwealth Office London SW1A 2AL

Telephone 01-

C. C. HKIOD

345 Ar D

JCW Bushell Esq CMG SAIGON

Your reference

PA

REGK

Our reference

150CT 1974

Date 11 October 1974

14/10

235

1.

Please refer to your letters of 17 September and 1 October to Mark Chapman and other correspondence about illegal emigrants.

2.

As you know, we need material which bears on the assurances HMG were given by the Vietnamese authorities and the subsequent allegation by Amnesty. This is a pretty wide remit (as Jones-Parry's letter to David Brighty of 12 August indicated).

3. On the specific point you mention of identification, there are plainly practical difficulties in attempting to establish the identity of every prisoner. But as you report in your telegram No. 226, each of the accused will have to disclose his name and address at the trial. Presumably you will be able to get a list of the defendants and check this against the list of names you have received from Hong Kong, perhaps using the photographs to check on the identity of those about whom there

If is confusion (e.g. because they gave false names in Hong Kong). there are discrepancies e.g. because the South Vietnamese only produce two thirds of those we returned, it will be relevant to consider the reasons given for non-appearance. A further line of approach would be

Do they challenge the identity of the attitude of the defence counsel. the people in the dock? If they do not, the assumption must be that the

Equally, as you say, the accused are the actual people concerned. attitude of the foreign press corps, not noted for its partiality to President Thieu, is relevant to charges of maltreatment and broken assurances between governments.

1

4.

I do not think we can usefully give the Embassy, nor would you wish

Rest assured we shall not rush for, detailed tactical instructions. into print with Amnesty International unless we are sure of our ground. And we shall avoid quoting HM Embassy as authority for the state of Vietnamese prisons, and prisoners etc. But we must be in a position to assess for ourselves the facts in considering how best to deal with Martin Ennals' campaign.

5. From this point of view the IPU delegation visit (your letter of

I hope that on their return 1 October) seems to have gone off well. they will in their own spheres give a little more perspective to the

We shall keep you posted. polemical approach favoured by Amnesty.

•

c.c.

Political Adviser, Hong Kong

C W Squire

South East Asian Department