TNAG-0883-FCO40-1093-Refugees-from-Vietnam-in-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-boat-people-1979 — Page 69

CONFIDENTIAL

1) cinler

lips

(4) Copy be Hat (1)

UND Mo Sin in На бішаль

This is exactly

525

what we

BRITISH EMBASSY

feaeved Gu Haut

HANCI

1/4

243/1

CT W Humfrey Esq

SEAD

FCO

HKK 243/1

RECEIVED DA**

-

DESK OFFIC

INDEX

Ло

FA

No 1 89.4

30 March 1979

Dear Charles,

REFUGEES BOUND FOR HONG KONG

1.

As I reported in my letter of 30 March (not copied) the Chinese Embassy claim that in both the North and the outh the authorities are placing renewed pressure on Vietnamese of Chinese origin (the Hoa people) to leave the country.

2. The Indian Ambassador claims to be in a position to confirm this. The forms of pressure u ed include the dismissal from their posts of Vietnamese of Chinese descent employed by the Government. The Hoa people are now allowed to leave from the North by small boat as well as from the South. Apparently two or three weeks ago the Vietnamese authorities granted permission for the Hoa people to start sailing from the haiphong area on fishing vessels. host of these craft will head for Hong kong. The Indian Ambassador estimates that the number of people departing from the Haiphong area may eventually total as many us 10,000.

3. The Hoa refugees from the North clearly have to pay for their passages and possibly for permission to leave the country as well. However the sums of money involved are presumably far less than those paid by the more prosperous refugees from the South.

Your sever,

cc:

1 C Orr Esq, Hong Kong

KG B Bridge Esq, Hong Kong UKIS, Geneva

CONFIDENTIAL

Sign I

SN Evans