TNAG-0791-FCO40-995-Refugees-from-Vietnam-in-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-boat-people-1978 — Page 227

-2-

For your information, the two members of staff concerned are Matthew Salisbury and N.H. Dai. Plans for their tours, which will begin in the first half of February, are already at an advanced stage. Matthew Salisbury will be visiting a number of places in Australia, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines and Thailand, and his plans include obtaining interviews wherever possible with government officials who will have the opportunity of explaining their countries' policies. (We are also trying to obtain permission for him to visit Hanoi, though without much hope of success.) Dai will be visiting refugee centres in the United States. Naturally we should appreciate any assistance which our Embassies or High Commissions in the various places may be able to give, and I shall be asking John Harding to let you have more precise details of the itineraries and dates for the tours as soon as these have been finally worked out.

I hope that the general substance of the above, if you should decide to communicate it to David Wilson, may serve to relieve some of the anxiety which he and his colleagues in Hong Kong may have about the present situation.

With best wishes,

1

じ

(L.P. Breen)

Head of Far Eastern Service

Mr. D. Lancashire

I.P.D.

Foreign & Commonwealth Office LONDON SW1

0.0. Vietnamese P.0.