TNAG-0898-FCO40-1108-Refugees-from-Vietnam-in-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-boat-people-1979 — Page 210

CONFIDENTIAL

RAB

HKK 243

RECEIVED IN PERRY NO! 51 10 CCT 1979

GR 260

CONFIDENTIAL

FM HONG KONG 091208Z OCT 79

TO PRIORITY FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE

TELNO.1400 OF 9 OCTOBER,

INFO PRIORITY SEOUL.

1756

SEOUL TENO.221 TO YOU :

DESK OFFER

INDEX

PA

N

J11.10

SEAD an replying

J

1759

VIETNAMESE REFUGEES : HONG KONG POLICY.

lo IT IS UNFORTUNATE THAT THE KOREANS HAVE PUT ON RECORD THEIR UNDERSTANDING THAT NO GUARANTEE WOULD BE REQUIRED FROM A VESSEL SAILING UNDER THE SOUTH KOREAN FLAG WHICH BROUGHT

REFUGEES TO HONG KONG AS THE FIRST SCHEDULED PORT OF CALL..

ALTHOUGH NO FORMAL ANNOUNCEMENT WAS MADE OF OUR CHANGE OF POLICY, CONSIDERABLE PUBLICITY WAS GIVEN TO THE CASE OF THE ''SIBONGA'' IN MAY WHEN OVER 1,000 REFUGEES WERE ONLY LANDED AFTER A GUARANTEE OF RESETTLEMENT IN THE U.K, DESPITE HONG KONG BEING THE FIRST PORT OF CALL.

2. THE CHANCES OF A KOREAN SHIP COMING HERE WITH REFUGEES

ARE PROBABLY REMOTE: WE HAVE HAD NONE SO FAR NOR HAVE WE HEARD OF ANY RESCUES RECENTLY BY KOREAN SHIPS. BUT WE WOULD

FIND IT EXTREMELY EMBARRASSING NOT TO INSIST ON A GUARANTEE UNIQUELY FROM A KOREAN SHIP, ESPECIALLY IF THE NUMBERS WERE LARGE, WE RECOGNISE, HOWEVER, THAT IT WOULD ALSO BE EMBARRASSING

FOR YOU AND SECUL TO WARN THE KOREANS NOW ABOUT OUR POLICY.

:

CONFIDENTIAL

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