CONFIDENTIAL
SKBY BRUNE) 31819OZ
FM FCO 301813Z JAN 79
See 281
CONFIDENTI AL
HKK
243/1
TO IMMEDIATE BRUNEI
2 FEB
No
Joje
*
269
TELEGRAM NUMBER 15 OF 30 JANUARY
INFO IMMEDIATE UKMIS GENEVA, OSLO, PRIORITY KUALA LUMPUR, HONG KONG (FOR GOVERNOR), ROUTINE SINGAPORE.
INFO SAVING HANOI, MANILA.
268
YOUR TELS NOS 34 AND 35: (NOT TO OSLO), VIETNAMESE REFUGEES
1. THE NORWEGIAN MINISTER-COUNSELLOR INFORMED SEAD TODAY (30 JANUARY) THAT A NORWEGIAN VESSEL ''SEA FORTUNE'' IN BRUNEI HAD BEEN
''REQUISITIONED BY THE BRUNEI AUTHORITIES AND REQUIRED TO PILOT
A BOAT WITH VIETNAMESE REFUGEES OUT OF BRUNEI WATERS ON 31 JANUARY''
THE NORWEGIAN GOVERNMENT SOUGHT CUR VIEWS ON THE MATTER. HEAD OF
SEAD UNDERTOOK TO ENQUIRE INTO WHAT HAD OCCURRED AND TO SEE WHETHER
THE PROPOSED ACTION ON 31 JANUARY MIGHT BE PREVENTED. GRATEFUL IF YOU COULD APPROACH THE BRUNEI AUTHORITIES FOR THEIR VERSION OF EVENTS,
2. WE ASSUME THAT THE VIETNAMESE BOAT IN QUESTION IS THE 'CUNLONG''. IN THIS CASE THERE IS LITTLE TIME AVAILABLE TO FORESTALL THE BRUNEI'S PROPOSED ACTION, WHICH COULD LEAD TO THE DEATH OF THE REFUGEES AND, IN THE LIGHT OF THE INVOLVEMENT OF BRITISH RBMR OFFICERS, COULD LEAD TO CRITICISM HERE ABOUT LACK OF COMPASSION ON THE PART OF THE SULTAN AND BY EXTENSION, OF THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT. THIS CAN ONLY BE TO THE DETRIMENT OF THE LONG-STANDING RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE TWO COUNTIRES,
3. THERE CAN BE NO QUESTION OF OUR ARRANGING AN IMMEDIATE AIRLIFT
OUT OF BRUNEI FOR THE REFUGEES, BUT YOU SHOULD MAKE A FURTHER EFFORT, REPEATING WHATEVER ARGUMENTS FROM MY TEL NO 13 MAY BE USEFUL, TO GET THE SULTAN TO ALLOW THE REFUGEES TO REMAIN TEMPORARILY IN BRUNEI. YOU COULD ADD THAT, AFTER CONSULTATION WITH UNHCR, WE ARE PREPARED FOR YOUR HIGH COMMISSION TO ASSIST WITH PROCESSING THE REFUGEES WITH A VIEW TO THEIR RESETTLEMENT ELSEWHERE ALTHOUGH THIS WILL INEVITABLY TAKE TIME.
CONFIDENTIAL
/4. YOU COULD
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