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human rights' violations and whether therefore the FCO took an
adverse view of Vietnam.
3. Lord Goronwy-Roberts said that the fundamental approach of the FCO was to seek not only normal but good relations with all countries. We had no preconceived posture. But we reacted negatively to obvious enormities especially on human rights. Chile was a good example and, at the other end of the spectrum, so was Vietnam. It, was impossible for the United Kingdom to proceed regardless of the human rights' situation and the facts in Vietnam were beyond dispute. Amnesty, which could hardly be described as a right-wing organisation, had produced details of forced displacements of people, and of anti-religious actions. And there were reports from Sweden and elsewhere. Lord Goronwy- Roberts said he found it puzzling to have the question put to him with an air of contrived innocence by Mr Gwilym Roberts. Mrs Judith Hart had already explained the situation and she was no reactionary. Dr Owen had expressed our views to the Vietnamese Ambassador in London. And Lord Goronwy-Roberts felt obliged to repeat it to Mr Gwilym Roberts. Three and a half years after the war had ended things had not got better; rather they had got worse. There were very many people risking their lives to leave Vietnam. We would like to believe that the Vietnamese situation was improving but all the evidence was that it was getting worse. Hong Kong, despite its own over-crowding problem, had received more than 10,000 Vietnamese refugees of whom 4,000 were still in Hong Kong. Many countries, including the United Kingdom although our connection with Vietnam was less close than that of the French or the Americans) had given asylum to the thousands who were leaving Vietnam; the American response had been particularly praiseworthy.
4. The Government had given considerable humanitarian aid, bilaterally and through international channels. We had given £1 million worth of food, and grants for drugs; and there was more to follow. So if the purpose of Mr Gwilym Roberts' visit was to ask us to consider normalising relations, Lord Goronwy-Roberts could
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