G.F. 316
SECRET 高度機密
Ref. NS 58/76/98S
Minutes of a Meeting held in the Commodore's Office, H.M.S. Tamar at 9.30 a.m. on Wednesday,
20th August, 1975
Present: Commodore J.A.G. Evans, R.N.
Lieutenant Commander W.D. Redmond, R.N. Lieutenant Commander V.D R. Lentaigne, R.N. Mr. E.I. Lee, Commissioner for Narcotics Mr. J. Rumbelow, C.S. P. i/c Narcotics
Bureau, Hong Kong
The Commissioner for Narcotics briefly reviewed the issue of Thai trawlers which, over the past eight or nine years, are thought to have been the main source of illicit drug imports into Hong Kong, averaging possibly about 35 to 50 tons of opium a year and 7-10 tons of morphine. Each trawler carries between 1 or 2 tons of opium.
2
More information had been made available over the past year about the movements of these trawlers, from US and Thai sources, and there had been a number of successful sightings in international waters near Hong Kong by R.A.F. aircraft.
3.
All the narcotics agencies concerned, i.e. the Thais, Americans and ourselves consider that more salutary and effective action is now necessary to make this form of transportation one of very high risk to traffickers.
4.
The Tripartite Conference on Narcotics held between representatives of the British, Hong Kong and American Governments in London on June 9th and 10th, 1975 unanimously agreed that every effort should be made to arrest and bring to trial the masters, crew and charterers of such vessels, and suggested that the possibility of placing a Thai officer on board such trawlers on their approach to Hong Kong or alternatively to station a Thai warship in Hong Kong which could carry out similar functions, should be investigated with all the respective authorities. Meetings were subsequently held in the Foreign Office in London on 23rd June and 24th July, between which dates the issues had been discussed with the M. OD, and the F.C.O. legal advisers, and with the Ambassadors in Peking and Bangkok, and the P.A. in Hong Kong, by telegram.
5.
(a)
The current situation was as follows:-
F.C.O. Legal Advisers consider that, under International Law, there would be no difficulty in using Royal Naval vessels to put Thai Police on board trawlers registered in Thailand when such vessels were on the high seas. There would
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