TNAG-0887-FCO40-1097-Refugees-from-Vietnam-in-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-boat-people-1979 — Page 119

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PP KUALA LUMPUR

PP SINGAPORE

PP JAKARTA

PP BANGKOK

PP MANILA

GR$475

CONFIDENTIAL

FM FCO 301846Z MAY 79

TO PRIORITY KUALA LUMPUR

TELEGRAM NUMBER 118 OF 30 MAY

AND TO SINGAPORE BANGKOK JAKARTA MANILA

HKK 240/1.

RECEIVED

по

53TRY NO. 51

3 1 MAY 1979

ECCES

FOLLOWING TELEGRAM NOW REPEATED TO YOU AT REQUEST OF DEPT

WAS SENT TO HONG KONG TELEGRAM NUMBER 323 OF 24 MAY,

TO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG

TELEGRAM NUMBER 323 OF 24 MAY

AND TO HANOI

INFO IMMEDIATE WASHINGTON

PRIORITY UKMIS GENEVA

HONG KONG TELNO 633: VIETNAMESE REFUGEES.

ISTH

CORTAZZI SUMMONED VIETNAMESE CHARGE D'AFFAIRES THIS EVENING. CALL TOOK PLACE AT 2200 HOURS AS CHARGE COULD NOT BE FOUND EARLIER.

2. USING THE FORM OF WORDS SUGGESTED IN THE LAST SENTENCE OF PARA 2 OF TELEGRAM UNDER REFERENCE CORTAZZI DEMANDED THAT THE VIETNAMESE AUTHORITIES BE IMMEDIATELY INFORMED AND STEPS BE TAKEN TO STOP THIS RACKET IN HUMAN LIVES.

3. CORTAZZI ALSO SPOKE AS SUGGESTED IN PARA 3 AND PROTESTED STRONGLY ABOUT THE CORRUPT, INHUMAN AND EXTORTIONATE ACTIONS WHICH HAD SHOCKED OPINION IN BRITAIN. IN THIS CONTEXT HE DREW ATTENTION TO THE SPEECH IN THE LORDS EARLY ON 23 MAY BY THE MARQUIS OF HEADFORT. HE MADE IT CLEAR THAT THE NEW BRITISH GOVERNMENT TOOK A VERY SERIOUS VIEW OF THE BEHAVIOUR OF THE VIETNAMESE AUTHORITIES. HONG KONG HAD ALREADY RECEIVED OVER 23,000 REFUGEES FROM VIETNAM OVER 4000 HAD ARRIVED IN THE LAST FEW DAYS. THIS WAS AN INTOLERABLE SITUATION. CORTAZZI CONCLUDED BY DEMANDING THAT THE CHARGE SHOULD REPORT THIS PROTEST IMMEDIATELY TO HIS GOVERNMENT.

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4. THE CHARGE VIGOROUSLY DENIED CORTAZZI'S ALLEGATIONS AND REFUSED EITHER TO ACCEPT THE PROTEST OR TO REPORT THE HOUSE OF LORDS STATEMENT. HE ASSERTED THAT THE VIETNAMESE AUTHORITIES HAD BEHAVED IN A HUMANE AND LIBERAL FASHION COOPERATING WITH THE UNHCR OVER AN ORDERLY EXODUS FROM VIETNAM. HE DECLARED THAT ALLEGATIONS OF CORRUPT PRACTICES BY VIETNAMESE OFFICIALS AND DISHONEST CONNIVANCE IN THE EXODUS OF REFUGEES WERE LIES.

5. CORTAZZI CONCLUDED THE INTERVIEW BY REPEATING HIS DEMAND THAT HIS REPRESENTATIONS BE REPORTED IMMEDIATELY TO HANOI. AS THE CHARGE GAVE NO COMMITMENT TO ACT AS DEMANDED, H.M.A. HANOI SHOULD SEEK AN IMMEDIATE INTERVIEW AT AS HIGH A LEVEL AS POSSIBLE IN HANOI TO ENSURE THAT THE MESSAGE GOES HOME.

6. WASHINGTON SHOULD INFORM THE STATE DEPT OF THE CONTENTS OF TELEGRAM UNDER REFERENCE AND CORTAZZI'S REPRESENTATIONS AND SHOULD ASK WHETHER THE AMERICANS HAVE ANY WAY OF BRINGING HOME TO THE VIETNAMESE THE CONSEQUENCES OF THE CONTINUATION OF THIS RACKET.

CARRINGTON

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