RESTRICTED
44.
It may well be that Chairatana will get in touch with you on this subject. If not, and provided you see no objection, I think it would be helpful if you could get in touch with Chairatana and let us know whether he has any substance to add to these allegations. If there are grounds to suspect that British ships have been failing to rescue refugees at sea where it would be reasonable to expect them to do so, the Department of Trade would wish to have any available information in order to take up the matter through the General Council of British Shipping, as we could well lay ourselves open to international criticism. On the basis of hear-say alone, however, the Department of Trade are naturally reluctant to take action. The fact that no reports of this kind have reached us from other sources might tend to suggest there is doubt about them.
5. In my letter to you of 20 September (your reference 243/2(1976)), I promised to let you know of HMG's response to the UNHCR appeal of 28 July for the resettlement of such Indo-Chinese refugees rescued at sea or other wise arriving at various ports in South East Asia. The Home Secretary has decided to admit into the UK up to 116 of these refugees. It has been made clear to UNHCR that we would expect the majority of these to come from Hong Kong but we are also accepting, as part of the above quota, 21 Vietnamese refugees who were landed in Japan by a British vessel some months ago.
c.c.
SEAD
Enc.
Maritime & General Dept
HKD
FED
UKMis Geneva
Mr Forward, Marine Div, DoT
!
RESTRICTED
P Morgan
United Nations Department
1
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.