RR HONG KONG
RR VIENTIANE
250
RESTRICTED
HKK 243/1
RECEIVED IN REGISTRY NO. 51 1 1 DEC1978
DESK OFFE
INDEX
No
FM SINGAPORE 094950Z DEC 78
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
ADVANCE COPIES
REGSTRY Action Then
TELEGRAM NUMBER 399 OF 8 DECEMBER
AND TO IMMEDIATE UKMIS GENEVA
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INFO BANGKOK, MANILA, KUALA LUMPUR, JAKARTA, WASHINGTON, CANBERRA, HONG KONG(FOR GOVERNOR)
INFO SAVING HANOI
330
YOUR TEL TO WASHINGTON NO 2341: INDO-CHİNA REFUGEES
1.
DESPITE LOBBYING BY UNHCR AND, PARTICULARLY, AUSTRALIANS THAT SINGAPORE SHOULD SEND A SENIOR REPRESENTATIVE OR EVEN A MINISTER, SINGAPORE WILL BE REPRESENTED AT GENEVA BY ITS DEPUTY PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE, GEORGE SCOW, WE WOULD NOT EXPECT HIM TO TAKE AN ACTIVE PART. AS YOU KNOW (MY TELELETTER —N.1. 243/1 OF 22 NOVEMBER) WE EXTRACTED A RELUCTANT COMMITMENT FROM THE MINISTER OF HOME AFFAIRS THAT SINGAPORE WOULD NOT BE ENTIRELY INFLEXIBLE OVER THE INTERPRETATION OF THEIR RECENTLY IMPOSED CEILING OF 1,000 REFUGEES. BUT THEY ARE CERTAIN NOT (NOT) TO MAKE ANY REAL UNILATERAL CONCESSIONS FOR FEAR OF TEMPTING VIETNAMESE REFUGEES TO TRY THEIR LUCK HERE.
2. MFA HAVE TOLD US THAT SINGAPORE'S REPRESENTATIVE WOULD FOLLOW **THE AGREED ASEAN LINE** WORKED OUT OVER RECENT WEEKS. THIS AGREED LINE, OF WHICH MALAYSIA WAS THE MAIN PROPONENT, WAS TO WORK TO INTERNATIONALISE THE PROBLEM, SINGAPORE HAD SPOKEN IN SUPPORT OF THE MALAYSIAN PLEA (KUALA LUMPUR TEL NO 512) AT THE COMMONWEALTH SENIOR OFFICIALS MEETING.
N.T.
3. A ''STRAITS TIMES** LEADER TODAY SAID THAT: **EVEN IF VIETNAM FINDS IT POLITIC TO STAY AWAY FROM GENEVA, ASEAN COUNTRIES OUGHT TO BE ABLE TO GET THE MESSAGE ACROSS TO HANO! THAT EXPORTING ITS UNWANTED PEOPLE TO NEIGHBOURING COUNTRIES WOULD BE AN OBSTACLE TO THE FURTHER IMPROVEMENT OF RELATIONS*** THE MFA HAVE TOLD US THAT GUCH A JOINT ASEAN MESSAGE OR APPROACH TO HANOI WAS A DISTINCT POSSIBILITY.
LA