TNAG-1976-FCO40-2809-Hong-Kong-illegal-immigrants-from-China--originally-Vietname-1989 — Page 22

CONFIDENTIAL

(20

010266

MDLIAN 6020

TOP COPY

HKD 2/PIST?

CONFIDENTIAL

FM HONG KONG

TO PRIORITY FCO

TELNO 1302

OF 26020OZ APRIL 89

INFO PRIORITY PEKING, HANOI, UKMIS GENEVA

(2

OUR TELNO 1236: VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE:

ILLEGAL DEPARTURES: COAST HOPPING

FURTHER TO TUR, WE HAVE RECEIVED THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION FROM RECENT ARRIVALS ON ILLEGAL DEPARTURES FROM VIETNAM AND ASSISTANCE

RECEIVED IN CHINESE PORTS:

1. 110 VBP ARRIVED IN A BOAT ON 19 APRIL. THE GROUP LEFT HAI PHONG

ON 30 MARCH AND MADE 5 STOPS IN CHINA BEFORE ARRIVING IN HONG KONG.

THEY WERE NOT GIVEN ASSISTANCE BY OFFICIALS IN CHINESE PORTS. THE BOATMASTER SAID THAT ON THE DAY PRIOR TO THEIR DEPARTURE FROM HAI PHONG HE WAS VISITED BY TWO (UNIDENTIFIED) SRV SECURITY OFFICIALS AT HIS PLACE OF WORK CH.T.X. THEN GIANG CENTRE IN HAI

PHONG). THEY DEMANDED MONEY IN RETURN FOR NOT EXPOSING THE ILLEGAL

DEPARTURE HE WAS ORGANISING. THE BOAT MASTER PAID THEM 2 TAELS OF GOLD.

2. 25 VBP ARRIVED IN A BOAT ON 20 APRIL. THE GROUP MADE SEVERAL

STOPS IN CHINA ON THEIR WAY TO HONG KONG. THEY WERE GIVEN SUPPLIES

BY LOCAL OFFICIALS AT BEI HAI AND WU CHUAN. THEIR ORIGINAL BOAT BECAME UNSEAWORTHY AT WU CHUAN AND THEY PURCHASED A MOTORISED WOODEN

JUNK FROM LOCAL FISHERMAN TO CONTINUE THEIR JOURNEY.

D

3 18 VBP/ECVII ARRIVED IN A BOAT ON 21 APRIL. THE ORIGINAL GROUP OF

11 LEFT HO CHI MINH CITY BY TRAIN TO HANOI ON 2 APRIL, AND PAID SRV BORDER OFFICIALS AT LANG SOU 20,000 DONGS EACH TO CROSS THE SINO- VIETNAM BORDER. WHILE IN CHINA, 4 OTHER VBP AND 3 ECVIIS JOINED THE GROUP. THEY TRAVELLED OVER-LAND FROM GUANGXI TO DON MON IN GUANGDONG PROVINCE WHERE THEY BROUGHT A JUNK FOR 6,500 RMB FOR THEIR JOURNEY TO

HONG KONG.

4. A GROUP OF 25 VBP ARRIVED ON 21 APRIL. THEY REACHED BEI HAI ON

19 APRIL WHERE THEIR BOAT BECAME UNSEAWORTHY. THEY PAID 0.5 TAEL OF

GOLD TO JOIN ANOTHER BOAT WHICH WAS PASSING THROUGH BEI HAI AT THE TIME. HOWEVER, THERE WAS CONFLICT BETWEEN THE TWO GROUPS AND THEY WERE PUT ASHORE AT XU WEN WHERE THEY REPORTED TO THE LOCAL

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CONFIDENTIAL