TNAG-0892-FCO40-1102-Refugees-from-Vietnam-in-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-boat-people-1979 — Page 222

first convenient port of call. The answer to that

question must be based first of all on humanitarian

grounds, ie the condition and well-being of the survivors

bearing in mind that some may be in considerable medical

distress and unable to survive any other than a short

sea voyage.

A further consideration must be that of

ships' safety and whether the presence of even a limited

number of refugees is likely to place in danger a ship

carrying hazardous cargoes.

4

Given that the condition of the survivors, and the

ability of the ships' master to look after them, is such

that the ship can proceed to the first scheduled port of

call, our advice would be to so proceed so that the

principle that it is accepted intemational practice

for masters to land such people at the ships' next port

more easily

of call can be maintained.

5

The question now arises as to what action should

be taken by ships' masters in the interim period between

rescue and reaching the next port of call. Clearly

shipowners will wish for decisions on a case-by-case

basis to be taken as quickly as possible, therefore it

would be in their best interests to proceed along the

following lines:

Shipowner advises circumstances of the rescue to UNHCR and FCO

a)

The master should report the rescue to the Geneva

Office of the UNHCR or one of his regional repre-

sentatives either through the shipowners' head-

quarters in the United Kingdom or through the local

ships agents.

/ b)