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The recent meeting had discussed two possible means of taking action against these trawlers. First, when a Thai trawler approached Hong Kong, a Thai police official might be taken out on board a Royal Naval vessel and put aboard the Thai trawler to make an arrest. This would take place
when the trawler was 60 to 100 miles from Hong Kong. Sir
D Watson asked if this would be permissible under international law. Fr Rumbelow said the Thai Consul in Thailand had told him that under Thai law a Thai official would have the necessary
uthority to effect an arrest in international waters.
5. The Second proposal, outlined by Nir Lee, was that a Thai vessel should be stationed in Hong Kong and when it became known that a Thai trawler was approaching the Colony it would go out and arrest the trawler in international waters. He went on to say that, although this could be technically feasible, he thought there would be a major problem over who would foot the bill. The Thais would expect Hong Kong to pay; but in the present economic climate in Hong Kong he thought that the Government were not likely to be receptive.
6. Sir D Watson asked if it was considered that such action would completely stop the trawler traffic. Mr Lee said that he himself had some doubts. Financial rewards were so great that fresh financial backing could always be found. Mr Rumbelow said he thought it might be successful but the drug runners might then revert to the old method of trying to smuggle drugs into the Colony aboard cargo ships. Sir D Watson wondered if it were not in fact pressure from the US that was responsible for this new Thai initiative. Mr Lee said that in the past the US had been critical of Hong Kong's efforts in combatting its drug problem but more recently had recognised the efforts and progress that had been made by the Hong Kong authorities. A US Congressman, Lester Woolf, had said that it was estimated that 70% of hard drugs reaching the US now came via hexico. However, some of this was of Asiatic origin; most of it being shipped from Singapore or Lolaysia, but there was evidence that some came from Hong Kong.
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