TNAG-0792-FCO40-996-Refugees-from-Vietnam-in-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-boat-people-1978 — Page 188

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3. AS A LAST RESORT, HONG KONG IS PREPARED TO ACCEPT THE REFUGEES

IN TRANSIT BY AIR FROM TAIWAN. ICEM HONG KONG HAVE BEEN ALER

TO SEND A REPRESENTATIVE AND EXPECT A FLIGHT TO HONG KONG COULD

BE ARRANGED WITHIN SEVENTY TWO HOURS OF REFUGEES BEING GIVEN

PERMISSION TO LAND. HOWEVER, IN MAKING A REQUEST FOR LANDING FOR

TRANSIT ONLY, H.K AND U.K GOVERNMENTS WOULD BE GRATEFUL IF EMBASSY COULD TRY TO OBTAIN AS LONG A PERIOD AS POSSIBLE TO FACILITATE

PREPARATION OF RECEPTION FACILITIES IN H.K, U.K AND CANADA.

4. H.K AGENTS OF AVON FOREST BELIEVE THAT HER NEXT SCHEDULED

PORT OF CALL MAY NOW BE SINGAPORE AND NOT VANCOUVER. EVEN IF THIS IS TRUE, H.K GOVERNMENT WOULD NOT PERMIT SHIP TO DIVERT

TO H.K.

5. H.K GOVERNMENT INTERESTED TO KNOW IF EMBASSY BELIEVE THAT TAIWANESE POLICY (SEE REFTEL B) PARA,2(C)) MEANS THAT ALL REFUGEES

PICKED UP BY FISHING VESSELS REGISTERED IN TAIWAN AND WHICH SUBSEQUENTLY DIVERT TO H.K WOULD BE ACCEPTED FOR PROCESSING IN

TAIWAN: OR ONLY THOSE WHO ARE ETHNIC CHINESE,

ENDS

MACLEHOSE

FILES

UND

HK NG D

FED

SEAD

NAD

NEWS.D

01D

MVD

PSI LORD GORONWY-

ROBERTS

PS /MR LUARD

MR WEIR

MR MURRAY

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IMMIGRATION AND

NATIONALITY

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