W153
Our reference: IMG/77 72/1313/4 Your reference:
P Morgan Esq.
HOME OFFICE
Lunar House, Wellesley Road, CROYDON CR9 2BY
Telephone: 01-685 0333, ext. ·
United Nations Department
Foreign & Commonwealth Office
King Charles Street
LONDON SW1A 2AH
10 October 1977
Dear
Mergan
We agreed last year to accept a limited number of Indo-Chinese small boat refugees. The operation has gone reasonably well but the very small quota we agreed is all but taken up and we are being asked to continue to accept people from this area. At the same time a particular difficulty has arisen about small boat people picked up by British ships but then refused entry at ports of call.
I think Ministers would not tolerate being placed in a position where they could be thought to be doing less than encourage ships masters to carry out to the fuli their humanitarian obligations in these cases, and I am persuaded that this means we must follow the example of other countries and accept some sort of responsibility for people picked up by our ships - rather as if they had reached our shores.
I enclose a draft submission to my Ministers setting out the sort of under- taking I think we can give it includes I think every reasonable and practical safeguard. I have not yet approached the Treasury and before I do so would be grateful if you would let me know, necessarily at your early convenience, whether you have any points to make on the draft.
Yours sincerely
P.R.,
PL Taylor
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