TNAG-0793-FCO40-997-Refugees-from-Vietnam-in-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-boat-people-1978 — Page 124

RENTIAL

CONFIDENTIAL

Coxd

FM 161995Z NOV 78

TO ROUTINE HANOI

TELNO 155 OF 16 NOVEMBER 1978.

PA

HKK 243/1

294

RECEIVED IN REGISTRY NO. 51

INFO GOVERNOR HONG KONG, UKMIS GENEVA, BANGKOK, KUALA LUNOV 1978

SINGAPORE AND JAKARTA.

INFO SAVING TO UKMIS NEW YORK.

(290

YOUR TELNO 189: VIETNAMESE REFUGEES

DESK OFFICER

INDEX

PA

مان

TRY

Action Taken

No 03

1. WHILE THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE HAI HONG VIETNAMESE ARE DIFFERENT FROM THOSE OF OTHER BOAT PEOPLE, WE SUPPORT THE UNHCR VIEW THAT THESE PEOPLE ARE REFUGEES AND SHOULD BE TREATED AS SUCH, WE SHOULD NOT THEREFORE WISH TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH ANY APPROACH TO THE VIETNAMESE AUTHORITIES WHAT MIGHT RESULT IN THEIR CLAMPING DOWN ON THE DEPARTURE OF FUTURE REFUGEES (OUR TELNO 840 TO GOVERNOR HONG KONG).

2. A FURTHER CONSIDERATION IS THAT ANY CONSULTATION WE MIGHT INITIATE WITH THE ASEAN STATES ON THE MATTER COULD PROVIDE THE OCCASION FOR THEM TO PRESS US TO TAKE MORE REFUGEES FROM AMONG THOSE NOW IN THEIR COUNTRIES (THEY MAY IN ANY EVENT URGE THIS ON US AT THE MEETING OF EEC/ASEAN FOREIGN MINISTERS LATER THIS MONTH).

OWEN

FILES SEAD UND

HKIGR

MVD, FED MAED

PS| LORD GORONWY ROBERTS

PS

MR LUARD

PS/PUS SIR A DUFF MR CORTAZZI

MR WRIR. MR MURRAY

MURRAY

COPIES TO

MR.L. BIRT.

HOME OFFICE, LUNAR HOUSE,

AKGO. LONDON.

MR SLEIGHT

SHIPPING POLICY

DIV. DOT.

3

CONFIDENTIAL