TNAG-0972-FCO40-1191-Vietnamese-refugees-in-Hong-Kong-1980 — Page 161

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FM HONG KONG 250945Z-JAN 80

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VSFER

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TELEGRAM NUMBER 1 OF 25-JANUARY

40.14

RECEIVES IN PA

31 JAR 1980 ~

DESK OFFICER INDEX

INFO F C O, HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE LONDON.

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JOURNALIST DEREK MAITLAND IS WLL KNOWN TO US FOR HIS SERIES OF ALLEGATIONS REGARDING TREATMENT OF REFUGEES IN CENTRES,

PARTICULARLY CHIMAWAN. BUT HE HAS BEEN A LONE VOICE AND HAS RECEIVED NO PUBLIC SUPPORT. HIS LATEST ATTACK (JANUARY 18) WAS AN ARTICLE IN THE REGIONAL MAGAZINE ASI AWEEK, BASICALLY A COLLATION OF PERVIOUS ALLEGATIONS. THE GOVERNMENT REPLY TO ASI AWEEK WILL APPEAR IN THIS WEEKS EDITION. THE TEXT IS AS

FOLLOWS:

''THE ARTICLE BY DEREK MAITLAND IN THE JANUARY 18, 1980 ISSUE OF ASIAWEEK, UNDER THE HEADING REFUGEE CARE : LESSONS

IN THE BARE MINIMUM WARRANTS A RESPONSE.

THERE ARE MANY DAMAGING CLAIMS AND

CONCLUSIONS

See 6

DRAWN IN THE ARTICLE THAT HAVE SIMPLY NOT BEEN SUBSTANTIATED OR

ARE FACTUALLY INCORRECT.

THE MOST IMPORTANT OF THESE IS MR MAITLAND'S ASSERTION THAT THERE WAS A GOVERNMENT POLICY OF DELIBERATE NEGLECT IN THE REFUGEE CENTRES.

THIS IS NOT TRUE.

GOVERNMENT'S POLICY HAS ALWAYS BEEN THAT THE VIETNAMESE REFUGEES WERE TO BE TREATED AS HUMANELY AS POSSIBLE, GIVEN THE EXTREME CIRCUMSTANCES WHICH STRETCHED HONG KONG'S RESOURCES TO THE LIMITS. SUBSTANTIAL RESOURCES WERE MOBILISED TO THIS END,

INCLUDING THE CIVIL AID SERVICES, AUXILLIARY MEDICAL SERVICES, PRISONS DEPARTMENT AND IMMIGRATION DEPARTMENT.

THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO TRUTH WHATEVER IN THE ALLEGATION OF

A GOVERNMENT POLICY OF INTENTIONAL NEGLECT.

AS TO MR MAITLAND'S SERIES OF ALLEGATIONS OF MISTREATMENT,

I WOULD LIKE TO POINT OUT THAT HE HAS BEEN REQUESTED A NUMBER OF TIMES TO ASSIST THE AUTHORITIES BY PRODUCING INFORMATION HE CLAIMED TO HAVE ALREADY IN HIS POSSESSION. HE WAS ASSURED ON EACH OCCASION THAT IF HE DID IT WOULD BE FULLY EXAMINED.

MR MAITLAND, INTERESTINGLY, FAILED TO MENTION IN HIS ARTICLE THAT ON TWO OCCASIONS HE MET WITH THE SECRETARY FOR SECURITY, MR LEWIS DAVIES, AND OTHER SENIOR OFFICIALS, THE LAST MEETING BEING ON DECEMBER 7 LAST YEAR.

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