hab
GRS 478
CONFIDENTIAL
CONFIDENTIAL
DESKBY 271130Z
FM HONG KONG 271816Z FEB 79
TO IMMEDIATE F C O
TELEGRAM NUMBER 321 OF 27 FEBRUARY
INFO IMMEDIATE HANOI
Akk 243/1
ROLLIVEQ IN REGISTAY NO. 51 27 FEB 1979
DOCK OF
INDEX
PA
No
JM.2
REGISTRY letion Taken
See 430
INFO PRIORITY HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE LONDON INFO SAVING UKM13 GENEVA, WASHINGTON, CANBERRA, SINGAPORE, MANILA, BANGKOK, JAKARTA, BRUNEI,
POSSIBLE VIETNAMESE REFUGEE SHIP: LUCKY DRAGON.
468
1. WE HAVE LEARNT THAT THE THE LUCKY DRAGON LEFT SINGAPORE YESTERDAY EVENING WITH HONG KONG AS ITS NEXT DECLARED PORT OF CALL. WE HAVE REASONS TO SUSPECT IT MAY PICK UP REFUGEES. THE VESSEL IS PANAMANIAN REGISTERED (OWNED BY HONG CHOON HING ENT. S.A.) AND WEIGHS 7488 TONS GROSS. ITS CALLSIGN IS 'H P X R', THE HONG KONG AGENTS, VIM LINE LTD, ALSO HANDLED THE HUEY FONG.
RMING 2. WE BELIEVE THERE WOULD BE DETERRENT VALUE IN INFORMING THE VIETNAMESE EMBASSY IN LONDON OF OUR SUSPICIONS. IF YOU AGREE, WE SUGGEST THAT AN URGENT MESSAGE BE PASSED ON THE LINES OF
427 PARA 3 BELOW, SEE ALSO MIFT (NOT TO ALL)..
3. QUOTE WE HAVE LEARNT THAT THE LUCKY DRAGON (DETAILS AS IN PARA 1 ABOVE) LEFT SINGAPORE ON 26 FEBRUARY WITH HONG KONG AS ITS NEXT DECLARED PORT OF CALL: THE GOVERNMENT OF HONG KONG HAVE STRONG REASONS TO SUSPECT THAT THIS VESSEL MAY BE PLANNING A RENDEZVOUS WITHIN THE TERRITORIAL WATERS OF VIETNAM TO PICK UP FARE-PAYING PASSENGERS, MANY OF THE CIRCUMSTANCES SURROUNDING THE VOYAGE OF THIS SHIP ARE SIMILAR TO THOSE OF THE SKYLUCK WHICH ARRIVED IN HONG KONG ON 7 FEBRUARY AFTER PICKING UP PASSENGERS WITHIN VIETNAMESE TERRITORIAL WATERS. THE GOVERNMENT OF VIETNAM HAS CLAIMED THAT IT HAS NOT FACILITATED THE ORGAN ISED DEPARTURE OF REFUGEES FROM VIETNAM ON LARGE VESSELS. IF THE LUCKY DRAGON SHOULD REACH HONG KONG WITH EXCESS PASSENGERS ON BOARD, H M G WOULD FIND IT IMPOSSIBLE TO BELIEVE THAT THIS HAD OCCURRED WITHOUT
THE ACTIVE HELP OF THE GOVERNMENT OF VIETNAM. UNQUOTE.
4. GRATEFUL IF YOU WOULD ALSO CONSIDER INSTRUCTING HANOI TO SPEAK
ON SIMILAR LINES,
CONFIDENTIAL
5.
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