TNAG-0792-FCO40-996-Refugees-from-Vietnam-in-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-boat-people-1978 — Page 50

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Mr Simpson-Orlebar

Reference

VIETNAMESE REFUGEES RESCUED BY THE "WELL PARK"

1.

B C

:

CODE 18-77

206

FCO telno 296 to UKMis Geneva, UKMis Geneva telno 782 and the attached copy of our draft telegram to Hong Kong, despatched this morning.

2. As you know, I am in close touch with the US Embassy here, with Denholm Line Steamers (the owners of the "Well Park"), with the General Council of British Shipping (GCBS) and also the Home Office about our attempts to have these refugees landed in Taiwan. The owners and the GCBS have been applying considerable pressure on me to take further action. The GCBS have said their Director may telephone Mr Murray.

3

3. The two telegrams attached contain some of the background. The owners told me this morning that they were losing discharging time (and US$6,000 a day) and asked whether there was another place in the region of Taiwan where the refugees could be taken. I said as far as I was aware there was not. They then asked me to give the Taiwanese a better guarantee ie that the UK would undertake to bring the refugees to the UK within a week. I said this was a possibility which was obviously in my mind and about which I would be speaking to the Home Office. I said we accepted a responsibility for these refugees but that I was not, at this stage, prepared to improve on our original guarantee until all American efforts to persuade the Taiwanese to change their minds had clearly failed.

The GCBS later reported to me that a second American attempt to persuade the Taiwanese had failed. They could not confirm, however, whether this was the approach made by the US Chargé to the Vice Foreign Minister. I said I would await confirmation of this from the US Embassy.

5. The Home Office are likely to be as helpful as they can and flexible over our guarantee. However, to organise the immediate reception of 346 (the latest headcount) Vietnamese refugees in London would present problems. The voluntary agencies could hardly be expected to cope on thir own. Home Office will be considering the implications. In the meantime, we need a little more time for American efforts in Taiwan to take their course. is becoming difficult to keep at bay the owners who are demanding action by HMG to remove the refugees from the ship within 24 hours.

HKK 243/1

RECEIVED IN REGISTRY NO. 51

- 9 OCT 1978

DESK OFFICER

REG OTRY

INDEX, doteller Agring Thon

Shan

It must be muntelligible

to HK, parhandary

dos arrange керней.

kash Thompson

is Thompson Dako

(with bndi k

Mr Murray

Mr Weir

HK & GD

FED

SEAD

News Dept

MVD

Mr Stimson

Rapid

P Morgan UN Department

It

expect

(there is of course a contradiction in ou maintaining the

that it is unreasonable to to organise the reception at short notice of 346 refugees, while expecting Taiwan - and in atten cases Hong Kong -to do just that!)

us

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