TNAG-2856-FCO40-4109-Hong-Kong-compensation-claim-regarding-Korean-Air-Lines-Flig-1993 — Page 55

1 July 1993

BY FAX

Mr Anthony Ng

Immigration Department

HONG KONG

186/1

RECEIVED

1993

COCK CF

IND.A

Dear Ankery,

RY

Foreign & Commonwealth

Office

ISTRY mon Taken

London SWIA 2AH

Telephone: 071-276-3287

ра

как

ICAO REPORT ON KAL-007

1. The full ICAO report on the KAL-007 disaster has now been completed and discussed by the ICAO Council. The Council, whilst unable to endorse the conclusions of the report (due to some Russian and Korean objections), declared that the investigation was complete and passed a resolution. We would now like you officially to inform the next-of-kin of the thirteen Hong Kong victims of this development, and to make available to them the full text of the ICAO report and the full text of the ICAO information paper.

2.

Both documents are long and in large part technical: they will therefore be very time-consuming to translate. I suggest that initially the next-of-kin be given full translations of: the ICAO paper itself (pages 2-3); the section of the report entitled "Summary of Findings and Conclusions" (pages 1-3 of the Appendix); the section of the report entitled "Conclusions" (pages 58-62 of the Appendix); and the text of the resolution passed by the ICAO Council on 14 June. In addition to these I would suggest that the next-of-kin be given a translation of the contents lists of the Appendix and of the information paper, so that they can see for themselves what the papers contain.

3. If after receiving this information the next-of-kin wish to see the full texts either of the report or of the information paper, I think we will have to agree to provide translations, although I realise that this will be a difficult exercise for you to undertake. In the end we have to fulfil our consular obligations to them. It may be possible just to provide summaries of some of the more technical sections, if the next-of-kin are happy with that arrangement - discretion is yours. In fairness to them, they ought to be warned that some of the transcripts are harrowing to read. After reading them yourself you will be able to give some guidance.

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