TNAG-0897-FCO40-1107-Refugees-from-Vietnam-in-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-boat-people-1979 — Page 49

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CONFIDENTIAL

5.

THE 254 REFUGEES WERE JOINED BY A FURTHER 35 AT THE

SAO BIEN SCHOOL/CHURCH IN DONG DE WHERE THEY WERE VISITED ONCE

BY HUYEN AND ON OTHER OCCASIONS BY HIS ASSISTANT, THIEU, BEFORE LEAVING ON 4 SEPTEMBER.

LM 923

6. THIS 14 METRE-LONG JUNK WITH A 65-HP ENGINE ARRIVED ON 11 SEPTEMBER FROM NHA TRANG WITH 187 PASSENGERS, OF WHOM 124 WERE ETHNIC CHINESE.

7. THE ETHNIC CHINESE WHO BOUGHT THIS BOAT FOR 110 TAELS HAD PAID 36 TAELS TO VO FOR A PURCHASE PERMIT (SEE PARA.3 ABOVE). AFTER REPAIRS BY THE QUANG KHANH COMPANY IT WAS REGISTERED AS A FISHING VESSEL: PK 3570 DC 2. IN AUGUST THE PURCHASER VISITED HUYEN AT THE P.S OFFICE (PARA.4 ABOVE) AND WAS TOLD IT WOULD COST 140 TAELS FOR PERMISSION TO LEAVE. THE GOLD WAS COLLECTED BY A WOMAN AT THE PURCHASER'S HOME ON 3 SEPTEMBER.

THE BOAT LEFT ON 6 SEPTEMBER, HAVING BEEN VISITED EARLIER THAT EVENING BY TWO UNIFORMED P.S OFFICIALS (WHO HAD ASKED WHEN THE BOAT WOULD LEAVE, BUT WHO DID NOT CHECK NAMES OR NUMBERS BOARDING).

MACLEHOSE

FILES

SEAD HK & GD

UND

FED

PUSD

OID

IPD

NEWS D

PS

FS/LES

PS/MR BLAKER

PS/PUS

SIR A DUFF

KR CORTAZZI

MR MURRAY

MR SORAMTON

LORD NG LENNOX

CON

ADDITIONAL DISTRIBUTION

BOAT PEOPLE

Repetition to

HANOL

referred for departmental decision,

repeated as requested to other posts.

CONFIDENTIAL