TNAG-0897-FCO40-1107-Refugees-from-Vietnam-in-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-boat-people-1979 — Page 280

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CONFIDENT val

DSR HC

throughout this extended exercise, in which they have been in almost daily contact with us, and their record of humanitarian action with respect to refugees i

to refugees is second to none. They have not yet incurred any significant financial

penalties that we are

aware of in respect of the Rudd Bank and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees have “ agreed to meet care and maintenance costs relating to the rescue. They have, however, arranged a further time charter out of Japan, which only becomes operational when the refugees have been landed. The boat will therefore be idle at their expense until the refugees have been landed.

we should ask them The Lord Privy Seal does not believe that to bear such loss, particularly as the relatively small number of refugees concerned

now be set off against

can

the Government's new commitment.

ACR

in the

I am sending copies of this letter to John Chilcot Home Office, Thomas Horus (Department of Trade), Martin Vile (Cabinet Office) and Bill Beckett (Law Officers Department).

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