TNAG-0792-FCO40-996-Refugees-from-Vietnam-in-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-boat-people-1978 — Page 247

RESTRICTED

CYPHER CAT A [AND BY BAG ]

IMMEDIA ME

FM F C O 20173OZ

RESTRICTED

DESKBY 21010OZ

TO IMMEDIATE TOKYO TEL NO 315 OF 20 JULY.

INFO ROUTINE HONG KONG UKMIS GENEVA

INFO SAVING MONROVIA.

-NT.

PA

HKK 243/1

(2)

RECEIVED IN ROUSIANO. 51 2 1 JUL 1978

DESK

INDEX

PA

STRY

Action Taken

No of e23

YOUR TEL NO 499 : VIETNAMESE REFUGEES ON THE LIWO VENTURE,

1. OUR POLICY IS TO ENCOURAGE COUNTRIES TO ACCEPT QUOTE

BOAT REFUGEES UNQUOTE WITHOUT SEEKING GUARANTEES FROM THIRD COUNTRIES. FAILING THIS, WE ARE PREPARED, IN ORDER TO SECURE THE TEMPORARY LANDING OF REFUGEES PICKED UP AT SEA, TO GIVE GUARANTEES (TO BRING TO THE UK AFTER 3 MONTHS IF THEY HAVE NOT OTHERWISE BEEN RESETTLED ELSEWHERE IN THAT TIME) REFUGEES RESCUED BY UK REGISTERED VESSELS. IN EXCEPTIONAL CASES WE

ARE PREPARED TO CONSIDER GIVING SIMILAR GUARANTEES ON BEHALF OF REFUGEES RESCUED BY UK OWNED (BUT FOREIGN REGISTERED) VESSELS,

2. OUR EARLIER QUOTA OF 116 HAS BEEN EXHAUSTED AND NO NEW QUOTA HAS BEEN ANNOUNCED. WE HAVE, HOWEVER, BEEN ACCEPTING QUOTE BOAT REFUGEES UNQUOTE ON THE BASIS OF PARAGRAPH 1 ABOVE. IN ADDITION WE HAVE, EXCEPTIONALLY, RECENTLY AGREED TO ACCEPT A NUMBER OF QUOTE BOAT REFUGEES UNQUOTE FROM HONG KONG IN AN

EFFORT TO RELIEVE THE LATTER'S BURDEN.

3

IN THE CASE OF THE LIWO VENTURE, THE LIBERIAN CONNEXION SEEMS TO US CONSIDERABLE GIVEN THE LIBERIAN REGISTRATION (AND JOINT LIBERIAN/HONG KONG OWNERSHIP) OF THE VESSEL. THE HONG KONG CONNEXION, ON THE OTHER HAND, APPEARS TENUOUS AND HARDLY GROUNDS FOR THE JAPANESE M F A TO APPROACH US FOR ANY KIND

OF UNDERTAKING.

RESTRICHED

14.

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