TNAG-0587-FCO40-720-Aid-from-UK-for-Vietnamese-refugees-in-Hong-Kong-1976 — Page 62

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2 5 OCT 1976

1 x K 2 Y 3/5 4/1

TO ROUTINE HONG KONG TELNO 855 OF 21 OCTOBER

INFO UKMIS GENEVA WASHINGTON KUALA LUMPUR TOKYO

( ורו

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YOUR TELNO 1053:

VIETNAMESE REFUGEES

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1. THANK YOU FOR THIS REPORT AND THAT IN YOUR TELNO 988 ABOUT THE REFUGEES FROM THE QUOTE LEIDERKERK UNQUOTE. WE ARE GLAD TO KNOW THAT IT IS CONTINUING TO PROVE POSSIBLE FOR YOU TO ALLOW SMALL GROUPS OF REFUGEES TO LAND TEMPORARILY IN RETURN FOR THE SAME GUARANTEES FROM SAMPATKUMAR AS WERE GIVEN IN THE CASE OF THE

QUOTE AVA UNQUOTE REFUGEES.

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WE ARE ALSO ENCOURAGED TO LEARN THAT ALL BUT ONE OF THE REFUGEES FROM THE QUOTE AVA UNQUOTE HAVE NOW BEEN RESETTLED ELSEWHERE. WE NATURALLY HOPE THAT THE UNHCR'S REPRESENTATIVE WILL SOON BE ABLE TO RESETTLE THE REFUGEES FROM THE OTHER VESSELS LISTED IN PARAGRAPH 3 OF YOUR TELEGRAM UNDER REFERENCE. HAS IT PROVED POSSIBLE TO RE-SETTLE ANY MORE OF THE RESIDUE OF 37 REFUGEES FROM THE QUOTE CLARA MAERSK UNQUOTE AND OTHER VESEELS WHO WERE STILL IN HONG KONG IN APRIL (YOUR TELNO 323)?

3. WE FOR OUR PART WILL CONTINUE TO RESIST SUGGESTIONS THAT SHIP-BORNE VIETNAMESE REFUGEES SHOULD BE DIVERTED TO HONG KONG IN ORDER TO SIMPLIFY RESETTLEMENT ARRANGEMENTS (OUR TEL NO 188 OF 21 SEPTEMBER TO UKMIS GENEVA REFERS).

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