CONFIDENTIAL
CONFIDENTIAL DESKBY 181240Z (FCO)
HONG KONG 181215Z JAN 79
TO IMMEDIATE FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE
TELNO.131 OF 13 JANUARY,
243/1
HKK, 24
INDEX
19 JAM 979
168
AND I JAL. CLE
INFO IMMEDIATE: UKMIS GENEVA, WASHINGTON, OTTAWA, MANILA,
HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE LONDON,
PRIORITY: BANGKOK, KUALA LUMPUR, JAKARTA,
INFO SAVING : HANOI.
''HUEY FONG'' (AND TUNG AN**) C CANADIAN OFFER.
1. THE CANADIAN COMMISSION TOLD US ON INSTRUCTIONS THIS
AFTERNOON THAT CANADA HAS OFFERED TO TAKE A SUBSTANTIAL NUMBER
OF REFUGEES ALREADY IN CAMPS IN HONG KONG AND MANILA, PROVIDED
IN EACH CASE THAT THE REFUGEES ABOARD THE HUEY FONG AND TUNG AN
ARE ALLOWED ASHORE. THE PRECISE NUMBER IS NOT SPECIFIED BUT THE WILL IN EACH CASE BE BETWEEN THREE AND FOUR HUNDRED''. RATIONALE OF THIS OFFER IS THAT CANADA HOPES:
(A) TO DISCOURAGE THE PRACTICE OF NOT ALLOWING REFUGEES FROM
LARGE SHIPS ASHORE AS A DETERRENT TO OTHER REFUGEES AND (B) THAT WHEN REFUGEES ARE LANDED FROM SUCH VESSELS THEY
SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED TO JUMP THE QUEUE.
2. WE HAVE TOLD THE CANADIANS THAT WE ARE GRATEFUL FOR THIS OFFER ALTHOUGH WE WOULD HAVE PREFERRED THAT IT HAD NOT BEEN
LINKED, IN OUR CASE, TO THE HUEY FONG. WE SAID THAT WE HOPE THE OFFER WOULD STAND, SHOULD THE HUEY FONG ENTER HONG KONG WATERS,
IN RESPONSE WHENEVER ALL THE REFUGEES HAD BEEN TAKEN ASHORE,
TO A QUESTION ABOUT HOW THE REFUCEES WOULD BE LANDED WE SAID THAT THIS WOULD DEPEND ON THE RESULTS OF INITIAL INTERVIEWING AND THAT WE MIGHT WISH TO PUT ALL UNDER DETENTION, AT LEAST INITIALLY, FOR THE (ADMITTEDLY SLIGHT) DETERRENT EFFECT OF AN EARLY MESSAGE REACHING POTENTIAL PASSENGERS ON SUCH SHIPS. HOWEVER, WE ADDED THAT WE DOUBTED THAT THE PERIOD UNDER DETENTION
WOULD LAST MORE THAN TEN DAYS FOR ALL BUT A SMALL NUMBER SEMI-COLON AND THAT WE ENVISAGED NO OBJECTION, SUBJECT TO ANY PRACTICAL DIFFICULTIES, TO ALLOWING CANADIAN OFFICIALS ACCESS TO THOSE FROM THE HUEY FONG WITH RELATIVES IN CANADA.
CONFIDENTIAL
13. WE
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