TNAG-0556-FCO40-651-Resettlement-of-Vietnamese-refugees-from-Hong-Kong-into-othe-1975 — Page 123

CONFIDENTIAL

IMMEDIATE

GPS 360

CYPHER CAT/A

FM HONG KONG C82415Z

CONFIDENTIAL

RECEIVED IN REGISTRY No. 50

- 8 MAY 1975

NKKI8/25

LAST

#EX REF.

46

201

(X2)

TO IMMEDIATE F C O TELEGRAM NUMBER 451 OF 8 MAY INFO IMMEDIATE WASHINGTON AND STOCKHOLM ROUTINE OTTAWA, COPENHAGEN, PEKING, MANIAL AND SINGAPORE (SAIGON UNIT).

VIETNAMESE REFUGEES.

好

IN ADDITION TO APPROXIMATELY 4,000 SOUTH VIETNAMESE REFUGEES NOW TEMPORARILY ACCOMMODATED IN HONG KONG, FURTHER GROUPS ARE

LIKELY TO ARRIVE BY SEA.

2. ON 6 MAY 70 REFUGEES ARRIVED BY JUNK AND ALL BUT FIVE OF THEM, WHO HAVE YET TO BE FOUND, HAVE JOINED THE CLARA MAERSK GROUP. ROYAL INTEROCEAN LINES HAVE WARNED US THAT ONE OF THEIR SHIPS WITH 27 REFUGEES ABOARD HAS BEEN REFUSED PERMISSION TO DISEMBARK THEM IN SINGAPORE AND THERE IS A RISK THAT THEY MAY COME HERE.

3. WE ALSO BELIEVE THAT THE SWEDISH VESSEL, THE MS JAPAN OF SCANDUTCH LINE, CARRYING 27 REFUGEES, WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO UNLOAD THEM IN MANILA WHERE THE SHIP IS TODAY. THE UNITED STATES

HAS DECLINED TO ACCEPT THIS GROUP INTO ITS ENCLAVE IN THE PHILIPPINES AND PHILIPPINE GOVERNMENT IS BEING VERY TOUGH. THE SHIP IS DUE TO ARRIVE IN HONG KONG TOMORROW FOR DRY DOCKING FOR A FEW DAYS, BEFORE PROCEEDING TO JAPAN, PANAMA CANAL, BEIRUT, TRIPOLI AND THEN SWEDEN. WE HAVE ALERTED SWEDISH CONSULATE-GENERAL

TO THE PROBLEM.

...

૬)

4. IT WILL BE DIFFICULT FINDING HOMES FOR THOSE REFUGEES WE HAVE ALREADY AND OUR PRACTICAL PROBLEMS WILL INCREASE AS MORE TRY TO COME HERE. THE TIME IS FAST APPROACHING AT WHICH WE WILL HAVE TO MAKE A PUBLIC STATEMENT THAT OUR CAPACITY TO ABSORB FURTHER

/REFUGEES

CONFIDENTIAL