TNAG-0792-FCO40-996-Refugees-from-Vietnam-in-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-boat-people-1978 — Page 144

GR 616

IMMEDIATE

CAT A

FM HONG KONG @811897

CONFIDENTIAL

CONFIDENTIAL

HKK 243/1

M

RECEIVED IN REGÍSTRY NO. 51

1 1 SEP 1978

176

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DESK OFFICER

INDEX

PA

RE

Action Taken

RY

See 182

a

TO IMMEDIATE F C O TELNO 1976 OF 8 SEPTEMBER 1978

AND TO IMMEDIATE WASHINGTON

INFO PRIORITY UKMIS GENEVA ROUTINE BANGKOK, VIENTIANE INFO SAVING HANOI (VIENTIANE PLEASE PASS)

~171

WASHINGTON TELNO 3499 TO YOU AND TELECONS ORR/MORGAN (UND)

ON 6 AND 7 SEPTEMBER: VIETNAMESE REFUGEES ON AMERICAN MOHAWK'?.

*

THE US CONSULATE-GENERAL APPROACHED US ON INSTRUCTIONS ON 6 SEPTEM AND SPOKE ON THE LINES OF REFTEL. WE TOLD THEM THAT WE COULD NOT ALLOW THE REFUGEES TO LAND SINCE THIS WOULD BE A MAJOR BREACH OF THE FIRST PORT OF CALL PRINCIPLE. SAMPATKUMAR OF UNHCR, WHO WAS

THEN HERE, AGREED WITH THE LINE WE TOOK.

2. ON 7 SEPTEMBER THE US CONSUL-GENERAL CALLED ON THE CHIEF

SECRETARY ON FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS FROM WASHINGTON. HE OFFERED A GUARANTEE OF RESETTLEMENT IN THE US WITHIN 30 DAYS ADDING THAT EVERY EFFORT WOULD BE MADE TO HAVE THE REFUGEES ACCOMMODATED IN MACAU, IN VIEW OF THE TIME THE VESSEL HAD BEEN HERE, THE EVIDENT STRENGTH OF US FEELING, AND OUR BELIEF THAT A CONCESSION IN THIS CASE WOULD PUT THE AMERICANS UNDER SOME OBLIGATION TO MAXE ADDITIONAL PLACES AVAILABLE FOR REFUGEES IN HONG KONG, WE AGREED, IN DOING SO WE EMPHASISED THAT THIS WAS A ONE-OFF EXCEPTION, WHICH WE SHOULD NOT WISH TO SEE RECUR, AND THAT WE SAW NO OVERRIDES HUMANITARIAN REASONS WHY THE SHIP SHOULD NOT HAVE PROCEEDED TO ITS FIRST PORT OF CALL. WE ALSO ASKED FOR AND WERE GIVEN AN UNDERTAKING THAT CAPTAINS OF US-OWNED OR REGISTERED VESSELS WOULD BE TOLD THAT THEY SHOULD NOT DIVERT TO HONG KONG WITH REFUGEES AND THAT ANY VESSEL WHICH BELIEVED IT FACED A GENUINE EMERGENCY JUSTIFYING AN EXCEPTION ON HUMANITARIAN GROUNDS SHOULD

CONTACT HONG KONG AND AWAIT A REPLY. THE AMERICANS ALSO GUARANTEED THAT THESE 171 REFUGEES WOULD NOT. REDUCE THE NUMBER OR DELAY THE DEPARTURE OF ANY OTHER REFUGEES TO BE RESETTLED IN THE US FROM

HONG KONG,

3. THE AMERICANS HAVE SINCE TOLD US THAT THEY HAVE MADE ARRANGEMENTS FOR ALL 171 REFUGEES TO BE TRANSFERRED TO MACAU ON 12 SEPTEMBER.

CONFIDENTIAL

/4. GRATEFUL