TNAG-0794-FCO40-998-Refugees-from-Vietnam-in-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-boat-people-1978 — Page 102

00 KUALA LUMPUR

00 SINGAPORE

OU BANGKOK

HKK 243/1

RECEIVED TREON. 110. 51 19 DEC1078

363

SKAD

GRS 240

CONFIDENTIAL

IMMED

At

FM HONG KONG 190945Z DEC 78

TO IMMEDIATE F C O

TELEGRAM NUMBER 1458 OF 19 DECEMBER

.en

HKGD

Hong Kong Govt. Officce

DVANCE COPY

INFO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE LONDON, HANOI,

UKMIS GENEVA, PEKING, CANBERRA, WASHINGTON, MANILA, KUALA LUMPUR,

SINGAPORE, BANGKOK.

361

MY TELNO 1451 (NOT COPIED TO ALL) : VIETNAMESE REFUGEES :

· MS HUEY FONG.

#

IN A MESSAGE RECEIVED BY THE MARINE DEPARTMENT FROM THE 'HUEY FONG'' AT 1000 HOURS HONG KONG TIME TODAY THE POSITION OF THE VESSEL WAS GIVEN AS LAT 10-45N LONG 109-49E. THIS IS ADOUT 200 MILES EAST OF SAIGON AND STILL QUITE CLOSE TO THE VIETNAMESE

COAST.

2. THE MASTER CLAIMS TO HAVE PICKED UP ABOUT 2,700 REFUGEES INCLUDING 1,000 CHILDREN AND 700 OLD PEOPLE. 36 OLD PEOPLE AND 105 CHILDREN ARE REPORTED TO BE SICK. ONE GIRL WAS REPORTED TO BE DEAD (PRESUMABLY AT THE TIME OF BEING PICKED UP). A BABY WAS BORN YESTERDAY AND HER MOTHER IS REPORTED TO BE IN GREAT DANGER.

3. IT HAS BEEN ESTABLISHED THAT THE SHIP, WHICH IS REGISTERED IN PANAMA IS A TAIWAN OWNED; 30 YEAR OLD VESSEL OF ABOUT 4,800 TONS. THE LAST PORT OF CALL WAS BANGKOK AND THE SCHEDULED NEXT PORT OF CALL IS KAOHSIUNG, TAIWAN.

4. AS HONG KONG IS NEITHER THE SCHEDULED NEXT PORT OF CALL, NOR

THE NEAREST PORT, WE INFORMED THE VESSEL AT 1229 HOURS TODAY (MESSAGE CONFIRMED RECEIVED BY. HUEY FONG'') THAT IT WOULD NOT BE ALLOWED TO ENTER HONG KONG, AND HAVE SUGGESTED THAT IF MEDICAL ASSISTANCE OR SUPPLIES AND WATER ARE REQUIRED THE SHIP SHOULD PROCEED TO MANILA OR SINGAPORE.

MACLEHOSE