TNAG-0587-FCO40-720-Aid-from-UK-for-Vietnamese-refugees-in-Hong-Kong-1976 — Page 128

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PRIORITY

CRS 500

CYPHER/CAT A

Faler

Enter pi

153)

11

TJ 2/4

NEXT

REF.

FM FCO 231731Z

(SY (1997)

HKK 243) SVS),

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TO PRIORITY UKNIS GENEVA TELMO 121 OF 23 SEPTEMBER

AND TO PRIORITY TOKYO

INFO ROUTINE HONG KONG, SINGAPORE, OTTAWA, KUALA LUMPUR, PARIS, JAKARTA, MAHUILA, WASHINGTON

YOUR TEL NO 273 AND TOKYO TELNO 857 VIETNAMESE REFUGEES: MS MATHER

(151)

1. NEXT THREE WORDS UNDERLINED. UKMIS GENEVA ONLY. IN VIEW OF THE HUMANITARIAN CONSIDERATIONS INVOLVED, WE ARE NOW PREPARED TO GIVE THE JAPANESE THE UNDERTAKING THEY REQUIRE, PROVIDED THAT UNHCR ARE PREPARED TO ASSURE US THAT THEY WILL (A) BE FULLY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CARE AND MAINTENANCE OF THE REFUGEES IN JAPAN: (B) MAKE EVERY EFFORT TO RESETTLE THEY WITHIN THE 30-DAY PERIOD: AND (C) PAY FOR THE PASSAGES OF ANY REFUGEES WHO HAVE NOT ALREADY BEEN RESETTLED ELSEWHERE, TO THEIR ULTIMATE PLACE OF SETTLEMENT AT THE END OF THIS PERIOD.

2. YOU SHOULD STRESS TO THE UNHCR THAT WE ARE MAKING THIS CONCESSION FOR HUMANITARIAN CONSIDERATIONS CONNECTED WITH THIS PARTICULAR CASE, AND THAT IT SHOULD NOT BE TREATED AS A PRECEDENT FOR ANY SIMILAR CASES WHICH MAY ARISE IN FUTURE.

3. NEXT TWO WORDS UNDERLINED.

TOKYO ONLY.

ONCE YOU HAVE RECEIVED CONFIRMATION

FROM UKMIS GENEVA THAT UNHCR ARE PREPARED TO GIVE US THE ASSURANCES REQUESTED IN PARA 1 ABOVE, YOU MAY TELL THE JAPANESE THAT WE GREATLY REGRET THAT THEY HAVE NOT BEEN PREPARED TO ACCEPT UNHCR ASSURANCES (AS THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT DID IN THE CASE OF THE QUOTE AVA UNQUOTE). WE REMAIN CONSCIOUS OF THE PLIGHT OF THESE REFUGEES, AND PREPARED TO DO WHAT WE CAN FOR THEM, DESPITE THE FACT THAT THE SHIP IS OF BERMUDIAN REGISTRY AND CANADIAN OWNED. WE ARE THEREFORE READY, IN THIS PARTICULAR INSTANCE, TO GIVE JAPANESE AN ASSURANCE THAT WE WILL ADMIT TO THE UK ANY OF THESE

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/REFUGEES