TNAG-0886-FCO40-1096-Refugees-from-Vietnam-in-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-boat-people-1979 — Page 166

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CONFIDENTIAL

HKK2431

RECEIVED

24 MAY 1979

Desk OFFICER

INDEX

31

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718

GRS 360

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ESKBY FC 0 241030%

FCO

FM HONG KONG 242955Z MAY 79

TO IMMEDIATE F C O

TELECRAN NUMBER 634 OF 24 MAY

PA

Ло

J315

INFO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE LONDON, UKMIS GENEVA,

INFO PRIORITY WASHINGTON

YOUR TELNO 309: VIETNAMESE REFUGEES: ''SIBONGA'': SITREP

ON 24 MAY.

1. THE ''SIBONGA'' ANCHORED AS INSTRUCTED THIS MORNING OUTSIDE HONG KONG WATERS 2 MILES SOUTH OF PO TOI ISLAND. THERE ARE 982 REFUGEES ON BOARD OF WHOM 242 ARE CHILDREN UNDER 11. VIRTUALLY ALL ARE ETHNIC CHINESE AND MOST ARE FROM SOUTH VIETNAM, THERE ARE A SMALL NUMBER OF NORTHERNERS AND SOME ETHNIC CHINESE CAMBODIANS WHO CLAIM TO HAVE GONE TO VIETNAM TWO OR THREE YEARS AGO. CONDITIONS ON BOARD ARE GENERALLY GOOD. AFTER A MEDICAL INSPECTION 1 BABY AND 1 WOMAN WERE TAKEN TO HOSPITAL. THE LOCAL AGENTS ARE TAKING CARE OF PROVISIONS, WATER ETC.

2. THE SHIP'S LOG HAS BEEN EXAMINED. IT RECORDS THAT THE MASTER ANSWERED DISTRESS SIGNALS FROM A 65 FT VIETNAMESE BOAT REGISTRATION

NO TG 082 AT 0824 HOURS ON 21 MAY. THE POSITION WAS 7 DEGREES 21 MINUTES NORTH AND 106 DEGREES C1 MINUTES EAST, THERE WERE ABOUT 600 REFUGEES ON BOARD AND THE BOAT MASTER CLAIMED THAT HE HAD LITTLE FOOD OR WATER AND INSUFFICIENT FUEL TO REACH LAND. HE CLAIMED THE BOAT WAS LEAKING, THAT THE PUMPS WERE NOT WORKING AND

THAT 5 CHILDREN HAD DIED THE PREVIOUS NIGHT. WHILE THESE REFUGEES

WERE TAKEN ON BOARD THERE WERE DISTRESS FLARES FROM ANOTHER BOAT SOME 5 MILES AWAY. THIS WAS A 45 FT LONG WITH OVER 300 REFUGEES ON BOARD, WHO WERE THAN TAKEN ABOARD. EXAMINATION SO FAR HAS SHOWN

NO EVIDENCE THAT THIS WAS NOT A GENUINE RESCUE,

3. REPRESENTATIVES FROM EACH OF THE ORIGINAL VESSELS HAVE GIVEN MARINE POLICE THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION. BOTH BOATS LEFT MY THO (70 MILES SOUTH OF HO CHI MINH CITY) AT 2320 HOURS ON

8 MAY, THE DEPARTURE WAS PLANNED: A TOTAL OF 4,030 TAELS OF GOLD WAS PAID THREE DAYS BEFORE DEPARTURE TO THE VIETNAMESE AUTHORITIES

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