54058/41.
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?F
*
F 1803
MAD 10.11
104
ΤΟ
CYPHER TELEGRAM
Governor
Sent 16th February, 1941. 18.00 hrs.
TUPORTANT.
No. 61.
MAURITIUS
0.A.G. Hong Kong is anxious on defence grounds that arrangements should be made for evacuation thence of certain British subjects of non-European descent in case of an emergency. A register has been compiled of such persons on & voluntary basis and under this scheme the Hong Kong GovernLent would provide passages, the evacuees being responsible for their own maintenance. Some of the women and children registered would go to Macao and Fiji but no place of refuge has yet been found for a number (mainly Chinese or Eurasian®) not exceeding 500 at most.
There are also probably a number of loyal British sebjects of Chinese or other nori-European race who can afford to evacuate their families at their own expense but find difficulty in securing place of refuge in other parts of the Empire owing to entry restrictions.
* I attach great importance to meeting the wishes of the Hong Kong Government both on defence grounds and to avoid Appearance of discrimination in favour of European women and children who have already been evacuated mainly to Australia, and I should accordingly be grateful to learn (1) whether you would be ready to admit such evacuees to Mauritius for period of wartine emergency and if so, in what numbers.. (2) Whether suitable accommodatimcould be provided and at what approximate cost: and (3) whether you would consider it necessary to impose any special conditions. You may assume no expense would fall on Mauritius.
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