TNAG-0889-FCO40-1099-Refugees-from-Vietnam-in-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-boat-people-1979 — Page 171

HKK 243/1

7 JUN1979

RICER

1979

REM

VRY

Action Take-

GR 295

CONFIDENTIAL

FM SEOUL 079230Z JUN 79

TO IMMEDIATE FCO

CONFIDENTIAL

12

PA

TELEGRAM NUMBER 93 OF 7 JUNE

INFO PRIORITY HONG KONG (GOV), PEKING AND WASHINGTON

INFO ROUTINE HANQI AND BANGKOK

WP

YOUR TELNO 58 OF 5 JUNE: VIETNAMESE REFUGEES

1. DIRECTOR-GENERAL LEE OF THE EUROPEAN AFFAIRS BUREAU ASKED ME TO CALL THIS MORNING. HE SAID THAT ON INSTRUCTIONS FROM · SEOUL THE KOREAN EMBASSY IN TAIWAN HAD BEEN IN TOUCH WITH THE LOCAL AUTHORITIES. THEY WERE INFORMED THAT BY THAT TIME PERMISSION HAD ALREADY BEEN GIVEN FOR THE ROACHBANK TO ENTER THE PORT OF KAO-HSIUNG TO DISCHARGE AND LOAD CARGO BUT ONLY ON THE STRICT CONDITION THAT SHE TOOK ALL THE REFUGEES WITH HER WHEN SHE

LEFT. IT WAS NOT CLEAR WHETHER THE REFUGEES HAD BEEN LANDED IN THE INTERVAL.

2. THE TAIWANESE AUTHORITIES WERE MOST RELUCTANT TO RE-OPEN THE

MATTER BUT IN DEFERENCE TO THE YOREAN REPRESENTATIONS THEY HAD

AGREED TO RECONSIDER THE SITUATION. THE EXPECTATION OF THE KOREAN EMBASSY IS THAT THE TAIWANESE WILL IN FACT NOW INVEST- IGATE THE REFUGEES CASE BY CASE AND WILL PERMIT AT LEAST SOME OF THEM TO REMAIN. IN REACHING THEIR DECISION IN EACH INDIVIDUAL CASE THEY WILL HAVE IN MIND SUCH QUESTIONS AS WHETHER ANY OF THE REFUGEES HAVE RELATIVES IN TAIWAN, THEIR OWN WISHES AND ABOVE ALL SECURITY GROUNDS.

3. DIRECTOR-GENERAL SAID THAT HE WOULD INSTRUCT THEIR EMBASSY TO CONTINUE TO KEEP IN TOUCH WITH THE TAIWANESE AUTHORITIES AND TO REPORT WHAT ACTION THEY TAKE.

CONFIDENTIAL

4. MR LEE