TNAG-0794-FCO40-998-Refugees-from-Vietnam-in-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-boat-people-1978 — Page 89

GR 510

CONFIDENTIAL

FM HONG KONG 230919Z DEC 78

'INDEX

No

TO IMMEDIATE FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE NO

TELNO.1480 OF 23 DECEMBER,

CONFIDENTIAL

HKK 243/1

(372)

RECEIVED IN REGSRY NO. 51 29 DEC 1978

DSK O

R

•RY

CLE

INFO SAVING : HANOI.

INFO IMMEDIATE: UKMIS GENEVA, WASHINGTON,

PRIORITY : PEKING, CANBERRA, MANILA, KUALA LUMPUR, SINGAPORE,

BANGKOK, HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE LONDON,

See 374

(379) +

394

369

1.

MY TELNO.1478: "HUEY FONG'

THE HUEY FONG ARRIVED OFF HONG KONG AT 1P30 THIS MORNING. THE MASTER DISREGARDED A SERIES OF MESSAGES TELLING HIM THAT, SINCE HONG KONG IS NOT THE SHIP'S FIRST PORT OF CALL, HE SHOULD PROCEED TO HIS ORIGINAL DESTINATION. HE ALSO DISREGARDED REQUESTS

FOR SPECIFIC INFORMATION ABOUT THE SHIP'S NEEDS FOR MEDICAL AND

50 OTHER SUPPLIES. THE SHIP WAS INTERCEPTED BY HMS WASPERTON, MILES SOUTH WEST OF HONG KONG, AT ABOUT MIDNIGHT LAST NIGHT, BUT THEIR EFFORTS TO DISUADE THE SHIP FROM COMING ON WERE UNSUCCESSFUL THE HUEY FONG IS NOW ANCHORED SOUTH OF PO TOI ISLAND CLOSE TO,

HMS WASPERTON AND BUT OUTSIDE, HONG KONG'S SQUARE BOUNDARY. POLICE LAUNCHES ARE STANDING BY.

2.

AFTER A SERIES OF UNSUCCESSFUL ATTEMPTS TO CONTACT THE MASTER BY RADIO AND LOUD HAILER THIS MORNING THE MASTER AND A REPRESENTATIVE WERE BROUGHT TO THE WASPERTON, ON BEING QUESTIONED

THE MASTER CLAIMED THAT THE REFUGEES HAD BEEN PICKED UP FROM NINE SMALL BOATS. HE SAID THEY ALL WANTED TO COME TO HONG KONG

AND THEN GO ON TO THE UNITED STATES. HE FEARED THEY WOULD KILL HIM AND THOSE ON THE BRIDGE IF HE TRIED TO GO TO TAIWAN. OF THE. REFUGEES, 20 OLD PEOPLE HAD HIGH FEVERS AND STOMACH TROUBLE, 1 HAD A BROKEN JAW AND 2 WERE SUFFERING FROM SEVERE VOMITING. ONE GIRL OF 12 HAD DIED (BEFORE THE SHIP FIRST CONTACTED HONG KONG ACCORDING TO EARLIER MESSAGES) AND 1 PERSON HAD JUMPED OVER THE SIDE. THE MASTER SAID HE HAD ENOUGH WATER FOR TWO DAYS BUT WAS

SHORT OF FOOD.

13.

OUR.

CONFIDENTIAL