TNAG-0586-FCO40-719-Aid-from-UK-for-Vietnamese-refugees-in-Hong-Kong-1976 — Page 102

GRS 200

IMMEDIATE

CYPHER/CAT A AND BY BAG

FM F C O 151805Z

CONFIDENTIAL

CONFIDENTIAL

RECEIVED IN

***BY NO. 51

TOP COP

16 JUL1976

Nukk 2 V3/548/1

TO IMMEDIATE RANGOON TELEGRAM NO. 67 OF 15 JULY 1976

AND TO HONG KONG.

INFO IMMEDIATE UKMIS GENEVA PRIORITY PEKING, WASHINGTON, KUALA

LUMPUR

INFO SAVING HANOI.

LAPE

26

MY TELNO 132 TO UKMIS GENEVA.

VIETNAMESE REFUGEES.

RLF.

V6)

1. CORTAZZI SAW THE BURMESE AMBASSADOR THIS AFTERNOON AND SPOKE TO HIM ON THE LINES OF MY TEL UNDER REFERENCE. HE HANDED OVER A COPY OF HIS SPEAKING NOTE. HE EMPHASISED THAT OUR APPROACH WAS MOTIVATED BY HUMANITARIAN CONCERN FOR THE REFUGEES THEMSELVES AND WAS NO MORE THAN A REQUEST FOR HELP FROM A GOVERNMENT WITH WITCH HMG ENJOYED FRIENDLY RELATIONS. IN VIEW OF THE UNHCR'S INTERPRETATION OF THE LEGAL POSITION (UKMIS GENEVA TELNO 208) CORTAZZI DID NOT SUGGEST THAT THE BURMESE GOVERNMENT HAD A DIRECT

RESPONSIBILITY TO HELP.

2. THE BURMESE AMBASSADOR, WHO WAS UNBRIEFED, UNDERTOOK TO REPORT TO HIS GOVERNMENT AND TO LET US KNOW THE OUTCOME. HE ASKED WHETHER WE HAD DISCUSSED THIS WITH THE VIETNAMESE REPRESENTATIVE HERE: CORTAZZI REPLIED THAT WE HAD NOT DONE SO AND DID NOT THINK

THIS WOULD BE HELPFUL.

3. WE HAVE NOTED WITH INTEREST THE ALTERNATIVE POSSIBILITIES FOR SOLVING THE PROBLEM CONTAINED IN PARAGRAPH 2 OF UKMIS GENEVA 38 TEL NO 207.

(38) "

GRATEFUL IF HONG KONG COULD SHED LIGHT ON THE INTEREST WHICH U.S. OFFICIALS THERE ARE APPARENTLY TAKING IN THE REFUGEES,

CROSLAND

FILES

HKD

SEAD

UND

FED

NEWS D

MR CORTAZZI MR WEIR

PS/LORD GORONWY-

ROBERTS

CONFIDENTIAL