TNAG-0557-FCO40-652-Resettlement-of-Vietnamese-refugees-from-Hong-Kong-into-othe-1975 — Page 76

PERSONAL AND CONFIDENTIAL

Foreign and Commonwealth Office London SW1

Telephone 01-

HE Sir Murray MacLehose KCMG KCVO MBE

HONG KONG

Your reference

Our reference

NKX18/25

Date

22 May 1975

135

B

Dear Murray,

VIETNAMESE REFUGEES

1.

You may already have noticed the passage sidelined in the enclosed extract from Hansard of 21 May.

2.

This is just to say that the Secretary of State was not briefed on the point of returnees to Vietnam and his remarks about it were an impromptu response. We are of course very conscious of the sensitivity of any suggestion that Vietnamese refugees in Hong Kong might be sent back compulsorily, a point I made to Lord Goronwy-Roberts earlier this week and with which he entirely agreed. In any submissions on this subject you may rest assured that we shall take full account of the considerations set out in your telno. 507 of 22 May.

3.

Alan Donald.

I enclose a copy which you may care to pass on to

Yours ever

Laurence

PL O'Keeffe

Hong Kong & Indian Ocean Dept.

PERSONAL AND CONFIDENTIAL

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