TNAG-0882-FCO40-1092-Refugees-from-Vietnam-in-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-boat-people-1979 — Page 149

CONFILENTIAL

AKK 043/1

DUSK

INDEX

STRY NO. 51

2 6 FEB 1979

REGISTRY

Acton T-4439

425

No

J22.2

४

The Hon. L M Davies CMG OBE JP

Government Secretariat

Secretary for Security

HONG KONG

26 February 1979

ASSISTANCE TO THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT

AIR RECONNAISSANCE

1. Further to our telephone conversation of 23 February, I con- firm that an RAF Canberra will be going to Hong Kong shortly. The Ministry of Defence will now make the detailed arrangements with HCBF.

2.

You will wish to know that the Ministerial approval for this deployment is for a period of 2-3 weeks, which was the time span implied in your telegram No 240: Vietnamese refugees. Any extension of this period, ie the "up to 30 days" you mentioned to me, would therefore require further Ministerial approval.

3. The Ministry of Defence have asked that we make it clear to you that they regard this help as "a temporary expedient only". They go on to suggest that, if the requirement for frequent and sophisticated surveillance is going to continue, then you should purchase further Islander-type aircraft for this purpose. They also make the point that these aircraft should preferably be for use by a full-time Force, eg the Hong Kong Police. You will no doubt wish to bear these points in mind.

P J Williamson

Hong Kong and General Department

CONFIDENTIAL