IMMEDIATE
GRS 365
CONFIDENTIAL .
! KEG
CYPHER CAT -A-
FROM TOKYO,
200818Z JUL.
ド
CONFIDENTIAL.
"PX(218/518/1
69
TOP COPY
TO IMMEDIATE FCO, TELNO 637, DATED 20
JULY 1976., REPEATED AS
IMMEDIATE INFO TO HONG KONG, UKMIS GENEVA, WASHINGTON, PRIORITY INFO TO RANGOON, PEKING, KUALA LUMPUR, AND VIENTIANE. SAVING TO HANOI.
YOUR TELNO 386: VIETNAMESE REFUGEES.
1,
!(??)
72
MEMBER OF CHANCERY SPOKE TO MFA DESK OFFICER WHO STATED THAT SECOND SECRETARY FROM THE BURMESE EMBASSY HAD CALLED ON 19 JULY AND EXPRESSED THE HOPE THAT THE JAPANESE WOULD PERMIT THE REFUGEES
TO LAND TEMPORARILY NOTING THAT UNHCR WOULD MEET ALL ACCOMMODATION AND TRANSPORTATION COSTS.
''
2. THE MFA STATED IN REPLY THAT IN THE CASE OF THE NORWEIGIAN VESSEL 'HAI LEE' DUE TO DOCK AT KOBE TODAY WITH 19 VIETNAMESE REFUGEES ON BOARD, THE NORWEGIAN GOVERNMENT HAD ASSUMED FULL RESPONSIBILITY FOR TRANSPORT, ACCOMMODATION AND RESETTLEMENT. IF THE BURMESE GOVERNMENT WERE TO DO LIKEWISE THEN THE PROBLEM OF THE REFUGEES ON BOARD THE ''AVA' COULD NO DOUBT BE SETTLED IN HONG KONG, IF HOWEVER THE BURMESE GOVERNMENT COULD NOT GIVE THE NECESSARY ASSURANCES AND THE REFUGEES ARRIVED IN YOKOHAMA, WHILE THE
AUTHORITIES WOULD ADOPT A NEUTRAL'' POSITION THE MFA DOUBTED VERY MUCH WHETHER ANYTHING COULD BE DONE FOR THEM, PARTICULARLY IN VIEW OF THE LARGE NUMBER INVOLVED.
TATIVE
3. COMMENTING TO A MEMBER OF CHANCERY, MURA YAMA SAID THAT UNLESS
UNHCR WAS ABLE TO GUARANTEE EVENTUAL RESETTLEMENT ELSEWHERE HE DID NOT THINK THE REFUGEES WOULD BE PERMITTED TO LAND IN JAPAN. HE HAD BEEN IN BHUCH WITH BOTH THE LOCAL UNHCR REPRESEN AND CARITAS" WHO IN ANYCASE HAD SO FAR BEEN UNABLE TO FIND ANY ACCOMMODATION FOR THEM. MURA YAMA NOTED THAT IN THE CASE OF THE LIBERIAN VESSEL ''ARTEMISSION 11'' WHICH HAD DOCKED AT MIZ- USHIMA ON 16 JULY WITH 11 VIETNAMESE REFUGEES ON BOARD, UNHCR HAD GIVEN FULL ASSURANCES, AND THEY HAD BEEN ALLOWED TO LAND.
/4. IN A LATER CONVERSATION
CONFIDENTIAL
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