TNAG-0793-FCO40-997-Refugees-from-Vietnam-in-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-boat-people-1978 — Page 125

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FM KUALA LUMPUR 159845Z NOV 78

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TELEGRAM NUMBER 467 OF 15 NOVEMBER

TO PRIORITY FCO..

INFO ROUTINE JAKARTA

SINGAPORE

BANGKOK

HKK 243/1

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RECEIVED IN REGISTAY 51 17 NOV 1978

DESK OF OUR

INDEX

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CANBERRA

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WASHINGTON

HONG KONG (FOR GOVERNOR) HANO! PEKING UKMIS NEW YORK

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MIPT: VIETNAMESE REFUGEES : QUOTE HAI HONG UNQUOTE

1. SAMPATKUMAR HAS TOLD US PRIVATELY THAT HE VISITED THE QUOTE HAI HONG UNQUOTE ON 10 NOVEMBER. SEA CONDITIONS WERE TCO ROUGH FOR HIM TO BOARD BUT HE SPOKE TO SIX REFUGEES (SELECTED AT RANDOM) AND THE CAPTAIN, WHO WERE BROUGHT TO THE POLICE LAUNCH.

2. HIS IMPRESSION IS THAT THERE ARE A FAIR NUMBER OF VIETNAMESE AMONG THE PASSENGERS, THOSE TO WHOM HE SPOKE WERE PROFESSIONALS RATHER THAN FISHERMEN OR PEASANTS, HE LEARNED THAT AT LEAST A HIGH PROPORTION OF. THE MALES HAD BEEN EMPLOYED BY THE FORMER REGIME OR BY THE US GOVERNMENT. MANY HAD BEEN IN RE-TRAINING CAMPS. THOSE TO WHOM HE SPOKE HAD APPROACHED THE QUOTE HAI HONG UNQUOTE FROM DIFFERENT LOCATIONS BY SMALL BOAT. THIS WAS NOT PRE-PLANNED AND THEY HAD PAID ONLY FOR THEIR SMALL BOATS. ACCORDING TO THE CAPTAIN HE HAD BEEN ANCHORED OFF LINCOLN ISLAND WITH ENGINE TROUBLE.

3. REGARDLESS OF HOW THE PASSENGERS CAME TO BE ON BOARD, SAMPATKUMAR, HAVING INITIALLY PROCEEDED WITH CAUTION, IS SATISFIED THAT THEY LEFT VIETNAM BECAUSE THEY WERE UNABLE TO LIVE WITH THE PRESENT REGIME, AND THAT, HAVING LEFT, THEY ARE UNABLE TO RETURN. HE CONSIDERS THEIR CIRCUMSTANCES TO BE NO DIFFERENT FROM OTHER VIETNAMESE. REFUGEES, AND THAT UNHCR HAVE A DUTY TO HELP THEM. HE HAS ACCORDINGLY ASKED THE MALAYSIAN GOVERNMENT TO ALLOW UNHCR TO PROCESS THEM. HE HAS ASKED THE MALAYSIANS NOT TO PUT THE QUOTE HAI HONG UNQUOTE OUT INTO INTERNA- TIONAL WATERS, REMINDING THEM (QUIETLY) THAT IT HAS ALSO REVERTED TO ITS ORIGINAL. MALAYSIAN REGISTRATION. (HE IS NOT

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