TNAG-1069-FCO40-1319-Resettlement-of-Vietnamese-refugees-from-Hong-Kong-in-the-UK-1981 — Page 43

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CONFIDENTIAL

TELELETTER

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No

23/12

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Сорел Coped & David Ford

Hieço PGD.

FROM L.M. DAVIES, SECRETARY FOR SECURITY, HONG KONG

REF: SCR 48/4821/79

9/12

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(WP

DATED: 9TH DECEMBER, 1981

FOLLOWING FOR: R.D. CLIFT, ESQ., HKGD, FCO

VIETNAMESE REFUGEES: RESCUE AT SEA

(The)

5.8

FCO TELNO 922 OF 4 DECEMBER ABOUT SIR ANTHONY ROYLE'S PA WHICH RESTATED YOUR POSITION ON SHIP RESCUE CASES, MOVES ME TO ASK WHETHER

YOU ARE YET ABLE TO REPLY TO MY LETTER TO YOU ON 9TH OCTOBER.

1115

2. YOU WILL HAVE GATHERED FROM OUR REPLY (TELNO 1093 OF 7TH DECEMBER) ON THE ROYLE FQ THAT WE ARE BECOMING INCREASINGLY CONCERNED, NOT ONLY ABOUT FUTURE POLICY ON SHIP RESCUES, BUT WITH THE INCREASINGLY CONSPICUOUS NUMBER OF CASES RESCUED BY BRITISH VESSELS WHO ARE STILL IN HONG KONG AFTER THE EXPIRY OF THEIR 3-MONTH PERIOD - WHICH WE ARE WORKING HARD TO HOLD OTHER FLAG COUNTRIES TO. ONLY THE DUTCH CURRENTLY HAVE MORE OUTSTANDING CASES (109) THAN THE UK (49): AND THEY WILL BE REMOVING ALL OF THESE ON A SINGLE CHARTER FLIGHT IN THE EARLY DAYS OF JANUARY. (THE DANES COME NEXT, WITH 33).

3. YOU WILL APPRECIATE THAT, FOR THE REASONS SET OUT SOME TIME AGU

IN CUR TELNO 588 OF 15TH JUNE, IT WILL BECOME DIFFICULT FOR US TU

PRESS OTHER FLAG STATES TO FULFIL THEIR UNDERTAKINGS WHEN THE UK

HEADS THE LEAGUE FOR CASES OVERDUE FOR REMOVAL. MOREOVER AS EVERYONE

WORKS FROM MUCH THE SAME STATISTICS HERE IT WILL BE DIFFICULT IF NOT

IMPOSSIBLE FOR AN UNREMOVED UK CASELOAD TO PASS UNNOTICED.

4. ASIDE FROM INQUIRING WHAT PROGRESS HAS BEEN MADE ON THE POLICY

ISSUE, THEREFORE, I WOULD BE MOST GRATEFUL IF YOU WOULD ENSURE THAT

THE OUTSTANDING UK SHIP RESCUE CASES, ALL OF WHOM HAVE BEEN INCLUDED IN THE NOW-EXHAUSTED QUOTA, ARE CALLED FORWARD TO UK WITHOUT FURTHER DELAY. THE VESSELS IN QUESTION AND DATES OF

ARRIVAL ARE

WILLINE TO YO 12 CASES 14TH JUNE

EUPLECTA

BENAVON

14 CASES 20TH JUNE

23 CASES 8TH AUGUST

5. PLEASE COPY THIS TELELETTER TO THE HONG KONG OFFICE, LONDON

SIGNED L.M. DAVIES

NNNN