TNAG-0654-FCO40-803-Refugees-from-Vietnam-in-Hong-Kong-1977 — Page 21

leel that, in the circumstances, the country. of registration

should ta on this responsibility, but, as. we all know some

countries are less. humanitarian in attitude than others:

Liberia, for example, has as far as we know shown a marked

disinterest in these affairs. For the sake of the refugees

themselves, we should prefer a little flexibility to deal with

cases of non-UK registered vessels where nevertheless British

interests are closely involved."

Mimink, m

adut

6.

I hope the above makes sense. We do not want to open any

floodgates. Nor do we want to accept responsibility for refugees properly the concern of others, unless there is an overwhelming

humanitarian case for 'so doing. The line has to be drawn

}

somewhere. But the general public (and I suspect Ministers)

n

are not going to understand when Refugee children are picked

up at sea by a ship with some sort of obvious. British

connection and then start dying for lack of medical care

because HMG washes its hands of them on some technicality of

registration.A hypothetical example but one, I suggest,

which could arise any day. Against this background,

•

1.

and given the sexisting high degree of public interest in the

problem, I hope the Home Secretary can be asked to 'propose

that officials. be allowed. a wider discretion in helping over

specific cases in future than envisaged in your present 'draft

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