TNAG-0794-FCO40-998-Refugees-from-Vietnam-in-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-boat-people-1978 — Page 54

GRS 200

CONFIDENTIAL

CONFIDENTIAL

EM HONG KONG 280310Z DEC 78

TO IMMEDIATE F C O

TAZGRAM NUMBER 1493 OF 28 DECEMBER

397

HKK 243/1 RECEIVED IN REGISTRY KO. 51

INFO IMMEDIATE UKMIS GENEVA, WASHINGTON INFO PRIORITY PEKING, CANBERRA, HONG KONG GOVERNMENT GFFICE. LONDON, MANILA, KUALA LUMPUR, SINGAPORE, BANGKOK. 29 DEC 1978

INFO SAVING HANOI.

394

MY TELNO 1490: HUEY FONG.

INDEX

No

TAY

ion T-ken

NT+ CLE

see

(698)

98 +401

1. YESTERDAY MORNING THE MASTER OF THE HUEY FONG, FOR THE FIRST TIME TO OUR KNOWLEDGE, COMMUNICATED DIRECTLY WITH THE MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS IN TAIWAN, HE LATER GAVE A COPY OF THE MESSAGE

TO THE CAPTAIN OF HMS WASPERTON, IN HIS MESSAGE (FULL TEXT IN MIFT) HE SAID THAT ACCORDING TO HONG KONG GOVERNMENT THESE REFUGEES WOULD BE ACCEPTED IF ROC GOVERNMENT REFUSED THEM''. HE ALSO ASKED FOR INSTRUCTIONS ABOUT HOW TO REPLY TO THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT.

2. THE MASTER HAS BEEN FORCEFULLY TOLD THAT HIS MESSAGE TOTALLY

MISREPRESENTS THE POSITION OF THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT AS CONVEYED TO HIM. HE HAS BEEN TOLD THAT HE SHOULD SEND A FURTHER MESSAGE · POINTING OUT HIS ERROR AND STATING CORRECTLY THE GOVERNMENT'S POSITION, IE THAT THE REFUGEES WILL NOT BE LANDED HERE SINCE THIS

IS NOT THE SHIP'S FIRST PORT OF CALL BUT THAT THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT WOULD BE PREPARED, EXCEPTIONALLY, TO MAKE ARRANGE-

MENTS FOR DEALING WITH THE 300 ETHNIC VIETNAMESE ON BOARD IF THIS GROUP CANNOT BE ACCEPTED UNDER TAIWAN'S OWN POLICY.

3. THE MASTER WAS EVASIVE BUT UNREPENTANT, HE DID NOT PRETEND THAT

HIS MESSAGE RESULTED FROM A MISUNDERSTANDING OF OUR POSITION AS CONVEYED TO HIM, HE CLAIMED THAT IT REPRESENTED THE TRUE FACTS OF THE CASE AND IMPLIED THAT HIS ASSESSMENT IN THIS SENSE FOLLOWED TELEPHONE CONVERSATIONS WITH REPRESENTATIVES OF THE INTERNATIONAL

PRESS.

FCO PLEASE PASS SAVING HANOI.

HACKEHOSE

FILES PUSD

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MR WEIR HR KUPASY

AS REQUESTED]

MA. STRATTON) KI LAWY

CONFIDENTIAL

CÆPIES TO'

GovToffice

LONDON