TNAG-0587-FCO40-720-Aid-from-UK-for-Vietnamese-refugees-in-Hong-Kong-1976 — Page 55

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PRIORITY

R 440

CYPHER CAT /A

FM TOKYO 260715Z

RESTRICTED

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حرکت

176

LAST

REGISTRY NO. 51

172)

27 OCT 1976

HILIL 243/548/1

TO PRIORITY FCO TELNO 963 OF 26 OCTOBER 1976...

REPEATED FOR INFO TO PRIORITY UKMIS GENEVA, ROUTINE WASHINGTON AND OTTAWA...

MY TELNO 955: VIETNAMESE REFUGEES: W S MATHER

1741. YOUR TELNO 550 DID NOT REACH US INTIL 23 OCTOBER. IN SPEAKING TO TSUKADA ON 22 OCTOBER MEMBER OF CHANCERY, BASING HIMSELF ON DISCUSSIONS WITH US EMBASSY, SAID THAT WHILE THREE FAMILIES THEORETICALLY APPEARED TO HAVE A GOOD CHANCE OF ENTERING THE US, WE UNDERSTOOD FROM THE AMERICANS THAT THERE WAS A QUEUE AND' THAT THEY COULD NOT BE PUT TO THE HEAD OF IT. DEARLOVE DID NOT REFER TO CUSHING'S DOUBTS (WASHINGTON TELNO 3514). DEARLOVE ADDED THAT WE HAD BEEN IN TOUCH WITH BOTH THE AUSTRALIAN AND THE CANADIAN EMBASSIES IN TOKYO WHO HAD AGREED TO TELEGRAPH THEIR CAPITALS IMMEDIATELY SHOULD THE AMERICANS GIVE A NEGATIVE REPLY, THAT WE HAD ALSO SPOKEN TO THE BRAZILIAN EMBASSY WHO HAD AGREED TO CONSIDER APPLICATIONS, AND THAT UNHCR SUPPORTED OUR REQUEST FOR AN EXTENSION.

2. TSUKADA WAS SYMPATHETIC AND SAID THAT THE JAPANESE IN CONSIDERING OUR REQUEST WOULD TAKE INTO ACCOUNT BOTH THE HUMANITARIAN AND

PRACTICAL ASPECTS OF THE QUESTION. IT WAS ON THE BASIS OF THIS

APPROACH THAT AN EXTENSION OF STAY UNTIL 24 NOVEMBER WAS GRANTED

BY THE MINISTRY OF JUSTICE LATER IN THE DAY.

i

3. IT WAS ALSO NOT UNTIL 23 OCTOBER THAT TSUKADA RECEIVED THE

REPORT OF CORTAZZI'S CONVERSATION WITH KATO, TSUKADA SAID THAT SINCE KATO'S CABLE STATED THAT THE AMERICANS WOULD NOT (NOT) NOW BE ABLE TO TAKE THE REFUGEES, THE MINISTRY OF JUSTICE

VOULD NO DOUBT WISH TO RECONSIDER THEIR DECISION IN FAVOUR OF

AN EXTENSION, DEARLOVE POINTED OUT THAT CORTAZZI HAD NOT SAID

THAT THE AMERICANS HAD REFUSED ADMISSION BUT HAD MERELY REFLECTED TOURTS ABOUT THEIR ABILITY TO ADMIT THESE REFUGEES, TSUKADA INFORMED US LATER THAT THE MINISTRY OF JUSTICE HAD ALLOWED THEIR

DECISION TO STAND,

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