TNAG-0895-FCO40-1105-Refugees-from-Vietnam-in-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-boat-people-1979 — Page 51

GPS 160

CONFIDENTIAL

CONFIDENTIAL

FM UKMIS GENEVA 310750Z JULY 79

TO PRIORITY FCO

TELEGRAM NUMBER 383 OF 31 JULY 1979 INFO PRIORITY HONG KONG, WASHINGTON.

HKK 243/1

RECETVAL

DESK INDEX

P.A/$%

1491

YOUR TELNO 173: INDO-CHINESE REFUGEES: RESCUE AT SEA

THTH

-(1509)

1. WE SPOKE TO CLARENCE AS INSTRUCTED IN PARA 5A OF TUR. HE SAID THE POINT HAD ALREADY OCCURRED TO HIM AND HE PERSONALLY AGREED THERE WERE MANY DANGERS IN MOBILISING MERCY SHIPS. BUT HE SAID THIS VIEW WAS NOT PREVAILING HIGHER UP IN UNHCR WHERE THE LINE SEEMED TO BE A SORT OF NEUTRAL ACCEPTANCE THAT MERCY SHIPS WERE INEVITABLE AND NEEDED TO BE CO-ORDINATED, THIS CONFLICTS SLIGHTLY WITH WHAT DE HAAN TOLD ME THE SAME DAY, NAMELY THAT UNHCR WAS ANXIOUS NOT TO DRAMATISE THE MERCY SHIPS. BOTH DE HAAN AND CLARENCE VOLUNTEERED SEPARATELY THE THOUGHT THAT THERE SHOULD PERHAPS BE TWO MEETINGS OF EXPERTS, ONE ON TRADITIONAL QUOTE PASSIVE UNQUOTE RESCUE AND ONE ON THE TOTALLY NEW CONCEPT OF ACTIVE RESCUE. CLARENCE DID NOT THINK A MEETING OF EXPERTS WAS POSSIBLE

BEFORE 15 AUGUST AT THE EARLIEST.

MACINNES

FILES

ADDITIONAL DISTRIBUTION BOAT PEOPLE

SAD

MAED

EID

PUSD

SEAD

PS

HK & GD

UND

FED EESD

NAM D

PS/LPS PS/MR HURO PS/MR BLAKER

PS/PUS

SIR A DUFF

SIR A PARSONS

MR CORTAZZI

MR MURRAY

MR STRATTON

OID

IPD

MIR BULLARD

NEWS D MVD

MR FRETVELL

CONFIDENTIAL