TNAG-1143-FCO40-1423-Hong-Kong-and-the-Falkland-Islands-crisis-1982 — Page 127

Parliamentary Unit

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Mr Donald

CONFIDENTIAL

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PQ : HONG KONG SEAMEN KILLED IN THE SOUTH ATLANTIC

86

1.

I submit a draft reply to a PQ from Sir Anthony Royle MP.

It was put down for oral reply but will not be reached;

supplementaries are therefore not needed. The draft has been

cleared with the Ministry of Defence and the Governor.

73

2.

Sir Anthony Royle has taken a keen and sympathetic

interest in Hong Kong since he became Under Secretary of State

for the Colonies in 1960.

3.

There are some 500 Hong Kong Chinese seamen employed in

Royal Fleet Auxillary (RFA) vessels on contract to the Ministry

of Defence and a smaller number of Hong Kong Chinese laundrymen,

on Royal Naval vessels. The latter are not employed by the

Navy but are paid direct by naval personnel.

Six of these seamen

including 2 laundrymen were killed in the South Atlantic.

4.

The draft answer refers to 'death gratuities' and

'insurance indemnities'.

The former are the sums payable under

the RFA contracts to the families of those who are killed. In

the case of the laundrymen no gratuities are payable but the

Ministry of Defence indemnifies the insurers against their

liabilities because of a War risk clause in their policies.

/5.

CONFIDENTIAL