TNAG-0897-FCO40-1107-Refugees-from-Vietnam-in-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-boat-people-1979 — Page 13

17.336

GAS A/O

CONFIDENTAL

CONFIDENTIAL HEK2

FM HONG KONG 2903582 SEP 79

TO IMMEDIATE FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE

TELNO.1352 OF 29 SEPTEMBER,

INFO IMMEDIATE: SEOUL,

RICONES V ठ

#:750

LONDO

PA

ROUTINE : UKMIS GENEVA, HONG KONG GOVT OFFICE LONDON:

SEOUL TELNO.213 TO YOU, PARA.3:

VIETNAMESE REFUGEES RESCUED AT SEA: HONG KONG POLICY.

Dee 1736A

1. REFUGEES GENUINELY RESCUED AT SEA BY COMMERCIAL VESSELS WHOSE NEXT SCHEDULED PORT OF CALL AFTER RESCUE IS HONG KONG ARE ALLOWED ASHORE PROVIDED A GUARANTEE ON RESETTLEMENT WITHIN A REASONABLE PERIOD IS GIVEN BY THE COUNTRY UNDER WHOSE FLAG THE VESSEL IS SAILING (OR THE COUNTRY OF THE OWNER/OPERATOR).

2.

THIS POLICY IS SIMILAR TO THAT OF OTHER PLACES IN THE REGION. WE RECOGNISE THAT MARITIME COUNTRIES (INCLUDING THE U.K AND KOREA) WOULD PREFER REFUGEES TO BE LANDED FROM THEIR SHIPS WITHOUT A RESETTLEMENT GUARANTEE AND TO TAKE THEIR PLACE IN RESETTLEMENT QUEUES. IN PRINCIPLE WE WOULD PREFER SUCH AN ARRANGEMENT AND IT IS THE ONE WHICH WE ADOPTED IN 1978 WHEN NUMBERS WERE SMALLER DESPITE THE FACT THAT GUARANTEES WERE EVEN THEN BEING SOUGHT AND OBTAINED FOR REFUGEES ARRIVING ELSEWHERE IN THE REGION. WITH THE HUGE INFLOW THIS YEAR AND THE DISAPPOINTINGLY SLOW RATE OF RESETTLEMENT IT HAS NOT BEEN POSSIBLE TO MAINTAIN. THIS APPROACH.

3.

UNLESS YOU SEE OBJECTION, WE HOPE THAT SEOUL WILL EXPLAIN OUR POLICY TO THE KOREANS ON THE LINES OF PARAS 1 AND 2 ABOVE. MACLE HOSE

FILES

SEAD

FK & GD

UND

FED

EID

FUSD

OID

IPD

NEWS D

PS

PS/LPS

PS/HR BLAKER

PS/PUS

SER A DUTY

MR CORTAZZI

MR MURRAY

MR STRATTON

LORN NG LENNOX

1

ADDITIONAL DISTRIBUTION

BOAT PEOPLE

CONFIDENTIAL