TNAG-0883-FCO40-1093-Refugees-from-Vietnam-in-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-boat-people-1979 — Page 67

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FM VILA 0255Z FEB

TO PRIORITY F C O

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UND (Mr Morgan) were

HKK 243

25A

agreed to take the lead on dui

RE

dui J

11.4

TELNO 128 OF 26 FEBRUARY 1979

DESK OFFIC

INFO PRIORITY PARIS CANBERRA WELLINGTON SINGAPORE HONG KONG MANILA SUVA PORT MORESBY UKMIS NEW YORK

MY TELNO 126: VIETNAMESE

No

811.4

S

NO. ST

1. THE POSSIBILITY OF REFUGEES BEING LANDED IN NEW HEBRIDES APPEARS TO BE GROWING. WE HAVE CONTINUING REPORTS, THROUGH THE AUSTRALIANS, OF PREPARATIONS IN SINGAPORE, NOUMEA AND AUSTRALIA, WE COULD NOT COPE WITH THEM AND THEIR PRESENCE WOULD BE POLITICALLY DESTABILISING FOR THE REASONS IN MY TUR.

2.1 HAVE DISCUSSED THE SITUATION WITH PUS, ROBERT AND NEW

HEBRIDES MINISTERS. ALL AGREE THAT OUR EFFORTS MUST BE DIRECTED TOWARDS DETERRING REFUGEE SHIPS FROM SETTING OUT, SINCE ONCE THEY ARRIVE THERE MIGHT BE LITTLE WE COULD DO. FOLLOWING WHAT I

UNDERSTAND FROM THE PUS IS THE EXAMPLE OF HONG KONG, I AM ALSO SURE THAT WE SHOULD CONCENTRATE ON DETERRING MASTERS AND OWNERS CF REFUGEE SHIPS RATHER THAN PUNISHING THE REFUGEES THEMSELVES. 2. OUR PRESENT LAWS SUCH AS JR 4-39, JR 12-57 AND JR 13-77 DO NOT, HOWEVER, APPEAR TO PROVIDE A SUFFICIENT DETERRENT. FOR EXAMPLE UNDER THE LATTER, THE OWNER, MASTER OR AGENT OF A REFUGEE SHIP WOULD BE LIABLE ONLY TO A FINE OF DOLLARS 333. NOR DOES THERE APPEAR TO BE ANY POSSIBILITY OF EXTRADITING A MASTER TO FACE CHARGES IN THE NEW HEBRIDES. UNLIKELY THOUGH EXTRADITION PROCEEDINGS MIGHT IN PRACTISE BE, WE POSSIBILITY WOULD BE AN IMPORTANT DETERRENT TO A MASTER TEMPTED TO DUMP ·THE REFUGEES AND RUN. (A VERY POSSIBLE SCENARIO GIVEN OUR UNDER- POLICED STATE),

4. ROBERT HAS TOLD ME THAT HE IS GOING TO DISCUSS WITH DOMTOM WHEN HE RETURNS TO PARIS THIS WEEK THE IMMEDIATE DRAFTING AND AGREEMENT WITH YOU OF A SPECIFIC, COMPREHENSIVE AND PUNITIVE JOINT REGULATION AGAINST THE DELIVERY OF REFUGEES TO OUR SHORES. THERE COULD BE ADVANTAGE IN OUR SPEEDING THINGS UP BY TAKING THE INITIATIVE, SINCE THE MAIN NEED IS TO ENACT NOW POWERS IN TIME FOR THE REFUGEE ORGANISERS TO BE WARNED OF THEM BY CMZS CANBERRA OR BY THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT BEFORE THE SHIPS SET

OUT.

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15.