TNAG-0792-FCO40-996-Refugees-from-Vietnam-in-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-boat-people-1978 — Page 216

布政司署

香港下亞厘畢道

* OUR REF.: SCR 1/4831/76

* YOUR Ref.:

RJT McLaren Esq

CONFIDENTIAL

Hong Kong & General Department

Foreign & Commonwealth Office London S W 1

Sear

Ковий,

лб

130

GOVERNMENT SECRETARIAT

LOWER ALBERT ROAD

HONG KONG

Dee (170

7th July 1978

об Ir they son

HKK 2237/

RECEIVED IN REGISTERED. 51 - 3 AUG 1978

DESK OFFICER

INDEX

No

PA

REGISTRY Action Taken

Conclusion of Special Flights

Hong Kong - Vietnam

QE

o.f.

this requl any

forms?

See (158

During the visit of John Margetson, accompanied by Maideen, we have reviewed the charter flights we operate from Hong Kong to Vietnam, which have been organised so that persons who have a claim to Hong Kong could be processed for entry into Hong Kong, apply for an exit permit from the Vietnamese authorities (with the assistance of Maideen in HCMV) and be reasonably assured of a direct flight back to Hong Kong. The scheme commenced in December 1976 and is now virtually completed.

2. These flights have gone well. So far there have been a total of 30 charter flights and 4,449 persons have travelled to Hong Kong on them.

3. There are 341 persons still in Vietnam for whom we have issued entry permits to Hong Kong. In addition there are 40 Hong Kong residents, 7 British subjects (mostly children born in Hong Kong, but whose parents are outside our policy for entry) and 80 persons who are holders of visa promise letters (of whom 75 will, in due course, go to the United Kingdom and 5 to Canada via Hong Kong). This makes a total of 468 persons. The number of persons who are applying for the issue of entry permits under the criteria notified to you in our telegram 326 of 15th March and who qualify is now very small.

4. We have always recognised that, as we got to the bottom of the barrel, there might be problems in securing a reasonably full plane load. This is now happening and recent flights have not usually been full. Some of those who hold both entry permits for Hong Kong and Vietnamese exit permits, are reluctant to leave, either for personal reasons or because some member of their family has not got an exit permit, or because of bureaucratic inefficiencies in Vietnam, or the lack of taxation or bank clearances.

CONFIDENTIAL

/2....