TNAG-0878-FCO40-1088-Refugees-from-Vietnam-in-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-boat-people-1979 — Page 127

GRS 270

CONFIDENTIAL

DESKBY 131200Z

See TITS

CONFIDENTIAL

HKK 243/1

RECEIVED AN RECIBIRY KO. 51 MS JAN1979

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tion

114

MY

។ Ren

FM HONG KONG 131030Z JAN 79

TO IMMEDIATE F C O

TELEGRAM NUMBER 95 OF 13 JANUARY

INFO IMMEDIATE UKMIS GENEVA, WASHINGTON

N.

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

BANGKOK, MODUK, HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE LONDON,

INFO SAVING HANOI.

HUEY FONG : SITREP AT 13100gz.

1. LAST NIGHT WE WERE TOLD THAT LISTS GIVING DETAILS OF REFUGEES

AND THEIR OVERSEAS CONNECTIONS (SEE PARA 3 OF MY TELNO 88) WOULD BE AVAILABLE TODAY, AND THAT A LETTER TO THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT

IN VIETNAMESE FROM REFUGEES OF VIETNAMESE ORIGIN COULD ALSO BE COLLECTED. WE ACCORDINGLY ARRANGED FOR THE MASTER AND THE REPRESENTATIVES OF THE REFUGEES TO BE TAKEN TO HMS WOLVERTON TODAY,

2. TWO MEETINGS WERE ARRANGED, ONE BETWEEN THE UNHCR REPRESENTATIVE

AND THE REFUGEES' REPRESENTATIVES, THE OTHER BETWEEN THE MASTER AND OFFICIALS FROM MARINE DEPARTMENT (INCLUDING AN UNDISCLOSED CID OFFICER). THE PURPOSE OF THE SECOND MEETING WAS, ON LEGAL ADVICE, TO QUESTION THE MASTER (WITHOUT THE NEED TO CAUTION HIM) ON THE CIRCUMSTANCES CONCERNING THE ALLEGED RESCUE OF THE REFUGEES.

3. AT THE END OF THE MEETINGS A REPLY TO THE LETTER FROM THE REFUGEES WAS HANDED OVER BY THE CAPTAIN OF HMS WOLVERTON (TEXT

IN MIFT · NOT TO ALL),

4. A REPORT OF THE MEETINGS TOGETHER WITH A SUMMARY OF THE LETTER

FROM THE REFUGEES WILL BE SENT TOMORROW.

5. WE NOW UNDERSTAND FROM THE REFUGEES THAT THEY TOTAL 3383 (INCLUDING 11 AT PRESENT IN HOSPITAL).

3

CONFIDENTAL

16. WE HAVE