TNAG-0587-FCO40-720-Aid-from-UK-for-Vietnamese-refugees-in-Hong-Kong-1976 — Page 199

PERSONAL AND CONFIDENTIAL

RA

Sir Murray MacLehose GBE KCMG KCVO HONG KONG

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

London SW1A 2AH

4 August/1976

tu. Jayne Wi

123

LACT

P.

NEXT

REF.

139

Dean Murveay,

VIETNAMESE REFUGEES

1.

While you were in London I told you that I was concerned about the "Ava" affair, both for humanitarian reasons and because the delay in landing the refugees would arouse criticism both in the United States and from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. I was also worried about possible criticism in Parliament and the press here. As I explained, we here are well aware of the real difficulties which faced you in Hong Kong over the landing of these refugees, both vis-à-vis local opinion and because of the dangers of establishing a precedent which could lead to opening a ? new flood-gate for the influx of Chinese. However, we were both

agreed that the lives of the Vietnamese refugees must be our first consideration and over lunch you told/that, if necessary, you could /me accept these refugees but that you would expect HMG to play its part by offering to take at least some of these into the United Kingdom.

2. During the week 19 -26 July, we became increasingly concerned about the possibility that, if permission to land was refused to the "Ava" refugees, other ships sighting Vietnamese refugees in distress in the South China Sea might refuse to pick them up. Even though the Vietnamese did not seem to be concerned about the refugees, nor want them back, a refusal to accept them by Hong Kong might set off a similar chain reaction in other places of potential asylum. These considerations added to our concern and that of Ministers. It was against this background that Ministers decided (our telegram No 581) that you should allow them to land.

3. In these circumstances we were glad to receive your telegram No 748 in which you readily accepted the need to land the refugees. It came as a surprise, therefore, and caused concern when the landing of the refugees was delayed. Lord Goronwy-Roberts was particularly irritated. He was also annoyed at the Director of Immigration's comment thanking everyone but Britain for their efforts. This was the reason for our telegram No 596 which was perhaps rather sharp in tone.

PERSONAL AND CONFIDENTIAL

/40