TNAG-0587-FCO40-720-Aid-from-UK-for-Vietnamese-refugees-in-Hong-Kong-1976 — Page 212

FCO40 Hong Kong Department Records 聯邦事務部香港部檔案 All

IMMEDIATE

CYPHER/CAT A

CONFIDENTIAL

US

FM HONG KONG 310359Z

CONFIDENTIAL

DESKBY FCO 310930Z

RECEAVES IN

REGISTRY 'O. 1

ZAUG 170

(AKK 243/ $V$/)

Discured liste

Mu. Stewart: us

action ar

TO IMMEDIATE F C O TELNO 764 OF 31 JULY

INFO PRIORITY UKMIS GENEVA AND WASHINGTON.

YOUR TELNO. 596: VIETNAMESE REFUGEES,

FOR HK DEPARTMENT.

futes

من

tair Pape

Den

NEXT

REF.

(112)

116

WE ARE SORRY THAT THERE HAS BEEN A MISUNDERSTANDING OF OUR

96) TELEGRAM NO. 748. IN PARAGRAPH 7 WE MENTIONED OUR PARTICULAR

INTEREST IN AVOIDING OPENING A GOVERNMENT-RUN CAMP AND WE THOUGHT

WE HAD MADE IT CLEAR IN PARAGRAPH 9 THAT THERE WERE A NUMBER OF

PRACTICAL MATTERS TO ARRANGE AFTER THE DECISION IN PRINCIPLE

TO LAND THE GROUP HAD BEEN TAKEN AND AFTER THE UNHCR HAD GIVEN HIS UNDERTAKING TO ASSUME FULL RESPONSIBILITY (PARA 6 OF THE SAME TELEGRAM).

2. WE ARE SURPRISED AND SOMEWHAT SENSITIVE ABOUT THE LIKELIHOOD

OF CRITICISM IN THE UK OR ELSEWHERE ABOUT OUR HANDLING OF THIS CASE. THERE HAS BEEN NONE IN THE REGION OF SOUTH EAST ASIA AS FAR AS WE KNOW. MORALE ON THE 'AVA IS TREMENDOUSLY HIGH BECAUSE A REASONABLE AND HUMANE SOLUTION HAS NOW BEEN FOUND. THE BURMESE TOO ARE DELIGHTED THAT THE RESPONSIBILITY HAS BEEN TAKEN AWAY FROM

THEM. THE SHIP, WHICH IS RECENTLY BUILT FROM A GERMAN YARD, IS FIRST CLASS AND THERE IS NO QUESTION THAT, UNTIL THE PRACTICAL ARRANGEMEN HAVE BEEN MADE, THE GROUP ARE AS WELL OFF ON BOARD AS THEY WOULD BE SCATTERED ABOUT HAPHAZARDLY IN PENSIONS OR SMALL HOSTELS (UKMIS GENEVA TELNO. 244). THE AMERICANS HERE ARE PLEASE WITH THE

WAY WE AND THEY ARE INTERNATIONAL ISING THE PROBLEM.

CONFIDENTIAL

/3.

SAMPATKUMAR

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