Mr Murray
HONG KONG:
1.
CONFIDENTIAL
tranny Hanks. V. usefuć
دیکہنا
29
HKK 341/1
RECEIVED IN REGISTRY KO. 51 1.3 DEC173
ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS ORIGINALLY FROM VIETNAM
DESK OFFICER
RE
Since the beginning of November three use of ethnic-Chinese from Vietnam, in all 322 persons, have arrived in Hong Kong from uli by boat.
There is strong evidence that all these people had spent some time in China before coming to Hong Kong and had originally been treated as overseas Chinese wishing to be resettled in China.
149
Because
of this there is no prospect that they would be accepted for resettlement as refugees under the UNHCR or United States programmes. The Hong Kong Government therefore decided to treat them in the same way as other illegal immigrants from China. The first group of 69 were returned to China on 8 November. An attempt was made to return a second group of 133 people on 13 November but Chinese officials at the border declined to accept them. The Hong Kong Government therefore raised the matter with the New China News Agency (NCNA) who undertook to refer for instructions Flag A(Hong Kong telegram No 1326).
146,
2.
A third group of 120 people arrived on 17 and 18 November. NCNA were informed on 22 November but said in reply that the Chinese authorities in Canton had already considered the representations made about the second group and had confirmed that the border officials' refusal to take them back had been correct. NCNA suggested that any further representations should be made in Peking.
Flag B3.
(145
In his telegram No 1352 reporting these latest developments the Governor of Hong Kong recommended that the Embassy in Peking should raise the matter with the Chinese Foreign Ministry and suggested arguments which might be used. The Embassy have already taken Flag Caction (Peking telegram No 78 to Hong Kong). They ought, of course,
to have waited for instructions from London before going ahead, but Flag Dthey clearly interpreted FCO telegram No 725, which authorised them to
discuss the problem informally with the MFA as giving them the necessary discretion. At any rate, no harm has been done: having obtained clearance from the other departments concerned I was about to submit a telegram instructing the Embassy to take action on the lines proposed.
The MFA's initial response to the Embassy's representations was reasonably encouraging. We must now await their substantive reply. In the meantime I will ensure that the UK delegation to UNHCR consultations on the refugee problems in Indo-China which are to take place in Geneva on 12-12 December are briefed on this aspect. The Hong Kong Government
will be sending a delegate.
4.
27 November 1978
Revangen
R JT McLaren
Hong Kong and General Department
/Copies to:
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.