TNAG-0559-FCO40-654-Resettlement-of-Vietnamese-refugees-from-Hong-Kong-into-othe-1975 — Page 276

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3. APPARENTLY VIETNAMESE MADE EXCUSE THAT NO ONE HAD YET PRESSED THEM TO LET HONG KONG BELONGERS OUT. CASELLA THEREFORE SUGGESTED YOU. MIGHT APPROACH HANOI AUTHORITIES ON THIS SUBJECT. THIS SEEMS TO US A GOOD IDEA AND UNLESS F C O SEE OBJECTION, GRATEFUL IF YOU COULD DO THIS, PREFERABLY BEFORE 3 SEPTEMBER, WHEN AIR VIETNAM PLANE IS LIKELY TO LEAVE. PACKET WE SENT YOU FOR CASELLA HAS LISTS

OF HONG KONG BELONGERS BELIEVED TO BE IN SAIGON, BUT WE CAN TELEGRAPH FURTHER DETAILS IF NECESSARY.

4. CASELLA DID NOT THINK THERE WOULD BE ANY POINT IN YOUR ASKING

AT THE SAME TIME WHETHER UNHCR FLIGHTS COULD TAKE REFUGEES BACK

TO VIETNAM FROM HONG KONG. IF YOU LINKED TWO SUBJECTS, VIETNAMESE

WOULD BE UNLIKELY TO AGREE TO EITHER. MEANWHILE IN ACCORDANCE WITH

PARA 3 OF FCO TELEGRAM NO. 653 TO US, WE ARE NOT PRESSING UNHCR

TO ACCEPT ANY REFUGEES FROM HONG KONG ON THEIR FLIGHTS TO SAIGON

THIS WEEK, BUT WE HAVE URGED THEM TO PRESS VIETNAMESE TO LET THESE

REFUGEES BACK. MACLEHOSE.

FILES

HKIOD

N AM D

SE ASTA D

SWPD

MVD

WED

DEF.D

[COPIES SENT TO NO.10 DOWNING STREET]

NEWS D

UND

CONS D

CONS EM UNIT

RES D(AM SECT

11 "(FE SECT

PS

PS/LORD GORONWY-ROBERTS PS/MR.ENNALS

PS/MR.ROWLANDS

PS/MR.HATTERSLEY

PS/PUS

MR.MALE

MR.EDMONDS

SIR D.WATSON

MR.LARMOUR

MR.HAWLEY

COPIES TO:

MAJ.B.G.JOHNSON DS6 MOD MR.BLANKS DS11

MOD

MR.FITZGERALD HOME OFFICE

MR.R.MACDOWALL HOME OFFICE

MR. WATTS COMMUNITY PROGRAMME

OFFICE, HOME OFFICE MR.KIDD, HONGKONG GOVT.OFFICE.

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