TNAG-0883-FCO40-1093-Refugees-from-Vietnam-in-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-boat-people-1979 — Page 12

CONFIDENTIAL

543

154

GR 140

CONFIDENTIAL

FM BANGKOK 17940OZ APR 79

TO PRIORITY FCO

TEL NO 202 OF 17/4/79

AND TO PRIORITY WASHINGTON

12 APR 1979

TOR COPY s

FOLLOWING FROM H M AMABASSADOR: HANOI

VIETNAMESE REFUGEES: SHIP BOUND FOR HONOLULU.

لا

1 HAVE REPORTED IN PAST ABOUT PLANS FOR A SHIP CARRYING MANY THOUSANDS OF VIETNAMESE REFUGEES TO SAIL FOR HONOLULU. EVANS LETTER TO HUMPHREY, SEAD, OF 6 APRIL (COPIED TO SOUTAR, WASHINGTO) QUOTED UNHCR OFFICIAL AS SAYING THAT A SHIPHAD SAILED FOR AN UNSPECIFIED US PORT ON 30 MARCH.

THE HONOLULU BOUND

SHIP HAS NOT SAILED AND THAT A 38 MARCH SAILING DATE HAD BEEN POSTPONED.

2. IN SPEAKING TO STATE DEPARTMENT, EMBASSY WASHINGTON MIGHT LIKE TO UNDERLINE CONFLICTING, NATURE OF REPORTS IT IS UNLIKELY THAT TWO SHIPS ARE INVOLVED. ON BALANCE WE THINK INFORMATION TO BE MORE LIKELY TO BE TRUE, BUT WE CANNOT BE CERTAIN.

TRIPP

THIS IS A COPY THE ORIGINAL HAS BEEN

CLOSED UNTIL

UNDER FOI

EXEMPTION No 38.

[BY BAG TO WASHINGTON]

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