TNAG-0895-FCO40-1105-Refugees-from-Vietnam-in-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-boat-people-1979 — Page 172

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DESKBY 2509902 F C O AND DO T

FM HONG KONG 250830Z JUL 79

TO IMMEDIATE F C O

TELEGRAM NUMBER 1056 OF 25 JULY

HKK2431

#

SINGAPORE

INFO IMMEDIATE UKMIS GENEVA, WASHINGTON, SING DOT (FOR MORRIS, SHIPPING POLICY DIVISION)

Jx7

UKMIS GENEVA TELNO 367 TO FCO: SOUTH EAST ASIA REFUGEES MEETING

FOLLOW-UP: RESCUE AT SEA.

zee (14.72

1. PARA 2 OF TUR REFERS TO POSSIBLE COLLABORATION BETWEEN RESCUE (474) SHIPS AND THE HONG KONG SEARCH AND RESCUE (SAR) ORGANISATION.

AS STATED IN PARA 4 CF MY TELNO 967, WE HAVE THE STRONGEST

RESERVATIONS ON BOTH PRACTICAL AND POLITICAL GROUNDS ABOUT

HONG KONG PLAYING ANY PART IN SUCH OPERATIONS.

2. THE ORGANISATION AND RESOURCES AT OUR DISPOSAL FOR SAR ARE OF

A STRENGTH NEEDED TO COPE WITH THE OCCASIONAL RESCUE OPERATION:

SO FAR ONLY ONE SEARCH HAS BEEN MOUNTED THIS YEAR. TO BECOME INVOLVED ON A CONTINUING BASIS WOULD MEAN THE WITHDRAWAL OF SHIPS AND AIRCRAFT FROM OTHER ESSENTIAL TASKS, NOT LEAST ANTI-ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION AND RESIDUAL ORGANISED REFUGEE SHIP RECONNAISSANCE

PATROLS.

3. A FURTHER MAJOR PRACTICAL OBJECTION IS THAT OUR NORMAL LIMIT OF OPERATIONS FOR SAR IS NORTH OF 15 DEGREES NORTH: SOUTH OF THAT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF SINGAPORE. THIS SUGGEST THAT SINGAPORE WOULD BE THE APPROPRIATE BASE FOR THESE OPERATIONS PARTICULARLY SINCE MOST REFUGEES ARE NOW COMING FROM SOUTH VIETNAM (IE SOUTH OF 15 DEGREES NORTH) AND ARE IN ANY CASE MOST AT RISK IN THAT AREA (THAI PIRATES OR BEING TOWED OUT TO SEA). BOATS HEADING FOR HONG KONG FROM EITHER SOUTH OR NORTH VIETNAM GENERALLY COME ALONG THE CHINESE COAST AND NO EFFECTIVE SAR OPERATIONS COULD BE MOUNTED FOR THEM WITHOUT INFRINGING CHINESE WATERS OR AIRSPACE. FURTHERMORE, SINGAPORE IS ALREADY THE BASE FOR AT LEAST TWO KNOWN

MERCY SHIPS: THE FRENCH ISLE DE LUMINIERE' AND THE AMERICAN OWNED 'SEASWEEP'. HAVING ACCEPTED VIRTUALLY NO REFUGEES, SINGAPORE SHOULD BE IN AN INFINITELY BETTER POSITION TO PROVIDE TEMPORARY TRANSIT FACILITIES THAN OVERCROWDED HONG KONG.

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