TNAG-0894-FCO40-1104-Refugees-from-Vietnam-in-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-boat-people-1979 — Page 265

GR 210

CONFIDENMAL

CONFIDENTIAL

FM HONG KONG 120600Z JUL

TO PRIORITY F C O

TELEGRAM NUMBER 977 OF 12 JULY, 1979

INFO PRIORITY SINGAPORE AND OSLO.

Hkk 243 1

PA

MY TELEGRAM NO. 965 (NOT TO OSLO): VIETNAMESE REFUGEES

CHARTERING OF SHIPS BY CHARITABLE ORGANISATIONS.

1. AT THIS END WE HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO OBTAIN THROUGH OUR

MARINE CHANNELS ANY MORE INFORMATION FROM THE LONDON BROKER

ABOUT THE PROSPECTIVE CHARTERERS. WE UNDERSTAND THAT HE IS

RELUCTANT TO DISCLOSE THE INFORMATION. YOU MAY HOWEVER BE IN

A BETTER POSITION TO FIND OUT. THE ONLY NEW POINT THAT HAS

EMERGED HERE IS THAT THE CHARTERERS ARE NOW DESCRIBED AS, AN INTERNATIONAL CHARITABLE ORGANISATION, SO OUR PRESUMPTION OF BRITISH PROVENANCE MAY BE WRONG.

354

2. WE HAVE ALSO HAD INFORMATION ABOUT AN APPROACH TO THE BALTIC

EXCHANGE BY A NORWEGIAN HUMANITARIAN MISSION. THIS ORGANISATION IS SEEKING TO CHARTER A ''TWEEN-DECK'' VESSEL OF 5 - 7,000 TONS DEAD WIEGHT, 15 20 YEARS OLD, AVAILABLE PROMPTLY IN SINGAPORE, TO BE USED FOR 2 4 WEEKS, TO BE RETURNED IN THE FAR EAST AT THE END OF THE CHARTER, NO FLAG SPECIFIED. YOU MAY WISH TO CONSIDER WHETHER THE NORWEGIAN AUTHORITIES SHOULD BE NOTIFIED INFORMALLY.

MACLEHOSE

S4

FILES

SEAD

NEWS D M & VD

HK & GD

UND

FED

EESD

N AM D

SAD

EID

PUSD

OID

IPD WED

PS PS/LPS

PS/MR HURD PS/MR BLAKER PS/PUS

SIR A DUFF

SIR A PARSONS

MR CORTAZZI

MR MURRAY

MR STRATTON

LORD NG-LENNOX

ADDITIONAL DISTN

BOAT PEOPLE

CONFIDENTAL