TNAG-0559-FCO40-654-Resettlement-of-Vietnamese-refugees-from-Hong-Kong-into-othe-1975 — Page 53

BY BAG

CONFIDENTIAL

SCR 1/4821/75

3/27

LAY

304

HE MR JAB STEWART OBE

British Embassy HANOI

1*

اليد

L

9 October 1975

(to HK IOD (Mr Jageria)

HKKIS 25 Mr Hunt to see

Enter

P.S. Cattley 14/10

(304)

272

UNHCR FLIGHTS SAIGON/HONG KONG

Thank you for the copy of your letter 3/27

of 24 September to Astley.

2.

I am sorry for any difficulties which may have arisen over the question of the UNHCR flights from Saigon to Hong Kong in August. I had reckoned that the telegrams which we sent at the time and which I hope reached you in due course, gave a sufficiently clear account of what was happening, particularly our telegram No. 21 to UK MIS Geneva of 27 August and

But I should our telegram No. 29 to you of 28 August. perhaps have followed up with the full chronology of events which I kept at the time, and which I now enclose.

3.

As you can see, we did indeed have an up-and- downer with the U NHC R. The basic problem was that they wanted to use Hong Kong to serve their own interests and those of the Vietnamese, without taking into account the inflamed state of local opinion on the subject of the Hong Kong belongers stranded in Saigon and the restlessness in the refugee camps due partly to the group of single men vho wanted to return to Vietnam. However, the P R G vere at no stage involved, and I do not therefore think there was any danger of your finding yourself less well informed than they on the subject providing our telegrams

reached you.

4.

Although you did not send your letter under reference to UKM I S Geneva or Vietiane, I am copying this letter and enclosure to them in case the subject crops up again in either place.

(C DS Drace-Francis)

ខ

cc

PS Astley Esq SEAD

FCO

E W Callway Esq

UKMIS, Geneva

Encl:

1

CONFIDENTIAL

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