TNAG-0794-FCO40-998-Refugees-from-Vietnam-in-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-boat-people-1978 — Page 96

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CONFIDENTIAL

HKK 243/1

RELIVED IN RACISTRY NO. 51 29 DEC 1978

CONFIDENTIAL

See 368

FM HONG KONG 2207112 DEC 78

367

#RY

TO IMMEDIATE FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE TELNO.1474 OF 22 DECEMBER,

DISK INDEX

No

29/1

012

INFO IMMEDIATE : PEKING, UKMIS GENEVA,

PRIORITY: WASHINGTON, CANBERRA, MANILA, KUALA LUMPUR,

SINGAPORE, BANGKOK, HANOI, HONG KONG GOVERNMENT

OFFICE LONDON.

366

M.1.P.T. HUEY FONG.

1. FOLLOWING IS THE LINE WE WILL TAKE, IF NECESSARY, IN PRESS

STATEMENT.

2. THE HUEY FONG FIRST CONTACTED MARINE DEPARTMENT AT 1000 HOURS

ON 19 DECEMBER WHEN IT WAS AT LATITUDE 10-45 N LONGITUDE 109-49 E, 1.E ABOUT 200 MILES DUE EAST OF SAIGON AND OVER 1,000 MILES FROM HONG KONG. THE CAPTAIN SAID HE HAD PICKED UP 2,700 REFUGEES AND REQUESTED PERMISSION TO ENTER HONG KONG, THE SHIP IS PANAMANIAN- REGISTERED, OWNED IN TAIWAN AND WAS EN-ROUTE FROM BANGKOK TO KAOHSIUNG. THE CAPTAIN WAS TOLD THEN THAT, SINCE HONG KONG WAS NOT THE FIRST PORT OF CALL, HE SHOULD PROCEED TO KAOHSIUNG OBTAINING MEDICAL ASSISTANCE IF NECESSARY FROM EITHER SINGAPORE

OR MANILA WHICH WERE BOTH THEN CLOSER TO HIM THAN HONG KONG. IT NOW APPEARS THAT THE CAPTAIN HAS IGNORED THESE INSTRUCTIONS. HE HAS AGAIN BEEN TOLD THAT THE SHIP CANNOT DISCHARGE THE REFUGEES IN HONG KONG. SINCE, HOWEVER, HONG KONG IS NOW NEARER TO THE SHIP

THAN ANY OTHER PORT, WE ARE PREPARED TO PROVIDE ANY URGENTLY REQUIRED MEDICAL OR OTHER ASSISTANCE BEFORE THE SHIP PROCEEDS

ON ITS ORIGINAL JOURNEY.

CONFIDENTIAL

13.