SECRET SENZ
SCR 1/46 SF 'A' V
Copy No. 2
of 24 copies
Original an
Akic 014/1..
dou of
>
LIC HONG KONG
3 pages
HER SUBT!
VIETNAMESE REFUGEFS NOVEMBER 1979
V
•
10 DECI979
Page No. 1 of
4/12
;
The moratorium on organised departures of ethnic Chinese announced at the United Nations Conference on 21 July is now in its fifth month. Recent refugee arrivals have suggested however that Vietnam still retains the means to resume the exodus should she decide to do so. Fthnic Vietnamese with access to fishing boats have continued to flee, hoping either to be rescued by passing European registered ships in the steamer lane or else reach a friendly shore. China appears to have taken sore action to stop those land and seacrossers resettled in various Chinese provinces who have formed the majority of arrivals in Hong Kong since the moratorium began, from making their way to Hong Kong, sometimes bringing with them local Chinese purporting to be refugees also.
2.
During November, two boats with 282 refugees arrived in Hong Kong, the lowest monthly arrival figure since October 1978 (when 604 arrived). One carried 118 ethnic Vietnamese from Vung Tau, who were rescued from a sturdy newly-built boat by the Norwegian ship, .V. GUDRUN BAKKE, and brought to Hong Kong, pending resettlement in Norway. The other was a sailing boat from the Leizhou Peninsula, containing 154 North Vietnamese Chinese
previously resettled on farms there. The weather in the South China sea during November was strongly affected by the northeast monsoon, making it difficult for small boats to sail towards Hong Kong.
3.
Refugees from the M.V. GUDRUN PAKKE have stated that some 4,500 ethnic Chinese in the Vung Tau area have registered for departure and a boatyard has recently completed 40 boats rumoured to be allowed to leave between November, 1979 and March, 1980. Large numbers of small boats are lying unused at anchor in different ports of southern Vietnam, again rumoured to be earmarked for ethnic Chinese departures. Ethnic Chinese in southern Vietnam have told their relatives in Hong Kong that they may be able to travel towards the end of December and many still hope for a large ship like the HUEY FONG rather than a small boat. A few are able to leave under the United Nations Seven Point Programme and some were due to depart via Bangkok for Taiwan on 29 November. Honey agents in Hong Kong, re-activated in mid-September, after
/stopping
G.F. 316
SECRET 高度機密
1901
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