CONFIDENTIAL
848
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ps/miktard 15/m. Biale Ps/pas
Dea Bryant
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рыб
جست وجو
Par
HKK 243/1
RECEIVED A
110. S
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
An
13%
London SW1A 2AH - M. Queen
всто
4-
30 May 1978 060 021/6
7 Juncian
مسبب
Vietnamese Refugees: Pressure on Taiwan
دسن
Thoo
Fro
Your letter of 29 May reported the conclusion of the Prime Minister's meeting yesterday that immediate pressure must be put on Taiwan to accept the Roachbank refugees. FCO News Department yesterday evening issued a public appeal from the British Government to the authorities in Taiwan to open their doors as we had done to the refugees on the Sibonga, and this was carried in BBC bulletins and the world service this morning.
We also instructed our High Commissioner in Singapore to make an immediate approach to Lee Kuan Yew. His first reaction was unfortunately that he felt inhibited from approaching the Taiwanese because of Singapore's own policy of refusing to allow any refugees in for settlement. We are instructing our High Commissioner to press Lee Kuan Yew further and Hugh Cortazzi spoke to the Singapore High Commissioner here today, stressing the importance we attach to Mr Lee's help.
The Governor of Hong Kong has advised that the despatch of a Chinese businessman from Hong Kong to Taiwan as an emissary of HMG would be unlikely to have any affect and believes that a backbench MP or Member of the House of Lords with good connec- tions in Taiwan might have a better chance. We are investigating the possibilities urgently and I will let you know as soon possible how we get on. However the time factor mentioned in Stephen Gomersall's letter of 29 May is very relevant.
I am copying this letter to Tony Butler (Home Office), Andrew Duguid (Department of Industry), Tom Harris (Department of Trade), Bill Beckett (Law Officer's Department) and Martin Vile (Cabinet Office).
Jos
eith,
еми
Stephen
J S Wall
Private Secretary
BG Cartledge Esq 10 Downing Street
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