TNAG-0653-FCO40-802-Previously-closed-extract-Folio-87.-Now-released-and-reunite-1977 — Page 109

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MINUTE on File CR 2/4821/75 II

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CONFIDENTIAL

M. 46.

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793 AUD

161240/202/

M. Pierre Guberan, the I C R C Delegate for South East Asia, called on me yesterday on his return from Taiwan with the good news that the Taiwanese authorities had accepted the ICRC proposal for two flights carrying some 300 ethnic Chinese with connections in Taivan from Ho Chi Minh City to Taipei. Thai International aircraft (with the Thai insignia covered over by Red Cross markings) would be used on the Ho Chi Minh City/Bangkok leg and China Airlines aircraft on the Bangkok/Taipei link. Although the Taiwanese authorities have not signed a written guarantee, they have given assurances that they would accept the people proposed by the ICR C and M. Guberan thought that this should satisfy the Thais, who were worried about being stuck with cases in Bangkok. The Taiwanese attitude was clearly dominated by their desire to project a good image as a rescuer of overseas Chinese persecuted by Communism and Mr CHANG of the Overseas Chinese Affairs Commission had been put in charge of a committee to handle the matter, clearly overriding the more restrictive attitude of the Taiwanese Security authorities towarās such an influx. However, the Taiwanese had agreed to keep the affair as silent as possible. If everything is fixed up in Bangkok satisfactorily M. Guberan hoped that the flights could take place next month. If the first two flights are successful, then further flights, carrying perhaps up to 700 others with Taiwanese connections, might be able to take place, particularly as the Vietnamese now seen keen to get rid of as many of the Chinese as they can.

2.

I congratulated M. Guberan on his diplomacy and said that this development, if it went smoothly, would certainly help us, by

3.

(a) avoiding any need to use Hong Kong as a transit

point between Ho Chi Minh City and Taiwan

(which M. Guberen had enquired about during his earlier visit), and

(b) making it unlikely that the Vietnamese would

press us to take "Taiwanese" on our flights from Ho Chi Tinh City.

I touched on the question of the Vietnamese attitude towards taking back refugees who had left Vietnam but who wanted to return. M. Guberan said

O has aboL. 100 suen cas.s on thein hands, but had not yet been successful. They had

CONFIDENTIAL

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A.