TNAG-0896-FCO40-1106-Refugees-from-Vietnam-in-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-boat-people-1979 — Page 216

CONFIDENTIAL

-HKK 243/1

RECEIVED IN REGIST Y

.15 AUG 1979

DESK

CONFIDENTIAL

DOSKBY FCO 141100Z

FI PEKING 141048Z AUG 79

TO IMMEDIATE FC O

REC

FA

Action

мо

INFO PRIORITY UKMIS GENEVA,

TELEGRAM NUMBER 727 OF 14 AUGUST 79

ROUTINE HONG KONG, WASHINGTON

1561

TOKYO, PARIS, OTTAWA

YOUR TELNO 457: MV RUDD BANK

1.

FIRST SECRETARY SPOKE ON 14 AUGUST TO ZHENG YAQVEN OF WESTERN EUROPEAN DEPT. MFA AS INSTRUCTED IN PARA 1 OF TUR. ZHENG AGREED TO PASS ON OUR REQUEST THAT THE SHANGHAI AUTHORITIES TRY ONCE AGAIN TO PERSUADE THE REFUGEES TO DISEMBARK, ON THE UNDERSTANDING THAT THIS WAS A TEMPORARY MEASURE, AND THAT ALL COULD APPLY FOR EVENTUAL RESETTLEMENT ELSEWHERE. HE DID NOT KNOW THE DETAILS OF THE OFFER ALREADY MADE BY THE SHANGHAI

AUTHORITIES. BUT UNDERSTOOD THAT THEY HAD NOT REPEAT NOT OFFERED PERMANENT SETTLEMENT. HE AGREED THAT IT MIGHT BE USEFUL IF WHCR COULD BE INVOLVED IN PERSUADING THE REFUGEES, THE CHINESE WOULD DO THEIR BEST TO COMPLY WITH OUR REQUEST, BOTH BECAUSE THEY WISHED TO FULFIL THEIR PROMISES AT THE GENEVA CONFERENCE, AND BECAUSE THE SHIP HAD BEEN CHARTERED BY CHINA, BUT THEY COULD NOT FORCE THE REFUGEES TO COME ASHORE AGAINST THEIR WILL. SULLIVAN ASSURED HIM WE WERE NOT PRESSING FOR THIS, BUT WE HOPED SOME WAY COULD BE FOUND TO PERSUADE THE

REFUGEES TO AGREE

2. WE HAVE ALSO SPOKEN TO DAVEY (MASTER OF THE RUDD BANK) TODAY, MID SAYS THAT HIS SHIP, WHICH SUFFERED SOME DAMAGE IN PORT, VILL NOT BE ABLE TO LEAVE SHANGHAI DEFORE 20 AUGUST AT THE EARLIEST. HE DOES NOT EXPECT RUDD BANK TO LEAVE CHINESE WATERS REFORE BEGINNING OF SEPTEMBER, AND HAS NO INSTRUCTIONS TO SAIL TO JAPAN (OR ANYWHERE ELSE) AS YET. HE FEELS THE REFUGEES MAY HAVE BEEN CONFUSED TALKING TO THE CHINESE ON 11 AUGUST, AND TOOK THE SAFEST LINE IN REFUSING TO LAND. HE THOUGHT THAT IN VIEW OF THE EXCELLENT TREATMENT THEY HAD RECEIVED FROM THE CHINESE RED CROSS ON BOARD, THEY MIGHT WELL NOW AGREE TO LAND

CONFIDENTIAL

566