TNAG-0896-FCO40-1106-Refugees-from-Vietnam-in-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-boat-people-1979 — Page 131

E

CONFIDENTIAL

in Mr Morland's submission of 24 July.

4.

The OD decision of 10 July referred to in Mr Symes'

letter cannot be singled out from previous Cabinet decisions

on this subject as follows:

F

Cabinet 24 May

-

No commitment to accept refugees picked up

by British ships for settlement in the UK;

to

G

Cabinet 29 May

OD Meeting of

10 July

Cabinet of

12 July

No general commitment should be taken

accept refugees rescued by United Kingdom

ships who were not resettled elsewhere.

Cases should be looked at on their merits as

necessary.

We should include in the total of 10,000

any refugees who arrived here after being

picked up at sea by British ships.

Endorsed OD decision.

5. It seems clear that the OD decision, endorsed by

Cabinet, does not amount to a reversal of earlier decisions

to consider ship cases on their merits. Unless Cabinet

reverses those decisions any assurance given to shipowners

must

fall short of an outright commitment.

6. A total of 1850 refugees have been picked up by British

ships, 900 of them by the Sibonga and 290 by the Roachbank,

both owned by Bank Line.

been taken into the UK;

Nearly all these refugees have -

but some

have since been

resettled elsewhere. The worst case from the shipowners point

of view concerned the Roachbank which was held up at her first

scheduled port of call, Taiwan, during unsuccessful negotiations

to persuade the Taiwanese to offer temporary asylum. This is

said to have cost the company £250,000.

CONFIDENTIAL

17.