56
UNCLASSIFIED
FROM HONG KONG
FCD PLEASE PASS TO HONGKONG DEPARTMENT
FLAKER CONTINUED
Ака HRR 026
RECEIVED IN REGÁTY NO. 51 2.7 SEP 1979
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INDEX
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STRY
PURING QUESTION AND ANSWER SESSION AT THE NEWS CONNERENCE, FLAKER SAID, IN RESPONSE TO QUERY ABOUT FRITIAN'S INTAKE OF VIETNAMESE REFUGEE FROM HK, THAT BY THE END OF THIS YEAR UK YOULD HAVE TEKEN 3 4:00.
THE PROBLEM WAS, HE SAID, PRITAIN DID NOT HAVE THE APPROPRIATE FACILITIES IN ORDER TO SPEED UP THE INTAKE. HE SAID THE VOLUNTARY ACENCIES IN BRITAIN WERE WORKING HARD TO EXPAND THEIR FACILITIES.
COMMENTING ON A REPORT ATTRIBUTED TO HIM IN SINGAPORE, CLAKER SAID IT WAS NOT QUITE THE EMPHASIS HE HAD INTENCED TO GIVE. IN SINGAPORE ABOUT THE 800 000 PEOPLE OF CHINESE
CRIGIN STILL IN VIETNAM.
+IT IS BELIEVED THAT THERE ARE STILL IN VIETNAM SOME
600 000 PEOPLE OF CHINESE ETHNIC ORIGIN AND I THINK THERE WERE GROUNDS SOME MONTHS AGO FOR FEARING THAT IT MIGHT BE THE INTENTION OF VIETNAM EVENTUALLY TO FORCE ALL THOSE PEOPLE OUT. NOW THAT WOULD BE VERY REGETTABLE AND I
HOPE THAT IS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN, I DON'T WANT TO GIVE THE IMPRESSION THAT THAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN AND CERTAINLY NOT THAT IT IS INEVITABLE.
THE POINT THAT I WANTED TO MAKE WAS THAT WE HAVE PERSUADED VIETNAM AND I THINK VERY LARGELY BY PRESSURE OF INTERNATIONAL OPINION TO SLOW DOWN THE DLOW OF REFUGEES VERY DRAMATICALLY, THE NUMBER COMING INTO HONG TONG IS NOW ONE-TENTH OF THE NUMBERS THAT HAVE BEEN COMING IN A FEW MONTHS AGO AND I THINK THAT WE SHOULD PERSUADE VIETNAM BY EVERY MEANS AVAILABLE THAT THIS IS A PETTER POLICY FOR THEM TO FOLLOW THAN WHAT SHE WAS DOING IN THE SUMMER SO THAT I HOPE THAT YE WOULD BE ABLE TO PERSUADE VIETNAM TO CONTINUE THE PRESENT NORATORIUM,+
ON THE COMMENT BY THE THREE MPS WHO RECENTLY VISITED HK (PARRY, CANAVAN AND COMANS) THAT HK WAS A POLICE STATE, BLAKER SAID HE HAD NOT HEARD THAT REMARK, BUT IT WOULE DE A VERY SERIOUS MISSTATEMENT OF THE FACTS.
+1 WOULD BE VERY SURPRISED IF THE THREE MPS HAD REALLY INTENDED TO MAKE SUCH REMARK SO WIDE OFF THE FACT. BUT I THINK IT IS USEFUL TO SAY THIS -- THAT THERE ARE 635 PRITISH MPS, MOST OF THEM SACKBENCHERS. THEY HAVE WIDELY DIFFERENTLY OPINIOONS. THEY HAVE VIDELY DIFFERENT VIEWS. THEY LIKE EXPRESSING THEIR VIEWS. AND WHEN MPS COME HERE AS BACKBENCHERS THEY DO SO SUITE FREELY. THE THREE MPS WHO RECENTLY CAME WERE SEPAKING FOR THEMSELVES ALONE AS FAR AS I KNOW, THEY WERECERTAINLY NOT SPEAKING FOR THE GOVERNMENT THEY WERE NOT SPEAKING FOR THE LABOUR PARTY
LEADERSHIP BECAUSE THE LABOUR PARTY LEADERSHIP WHEN IT WAS IN POWER UNTIL THE BEGINNING OF WAY THIS YEAR WAS PURSUING POLICES WHICH WERE ENTIRELY AT VARIANCE WITH THE SORT OF THINGS THAT THE RECENT VISITORS WERE SAYING THEY ARE NOT
SPEAKING
FOR THE ANGLO-HONGKONG PARLIAMENTARY GROUP WHICH CONTAINS CUTE A SUPSTANTIAL NUMBER OF MOS AND THE VIEWS OF MOST MEMBERS WOULD BE CUITE DIFFERENT FROM THOSE OF THE THREE RECENT
SITORS
REGARDINE ESC'S RESTRICTIVE MEASURES AGAINST HK'S TEXTIE FLAYER SAID WE WILL DO CUR FEST TO PROTECT HK'S INTERESTS
I. GENERAL, IN TRADE DISCUSSIONS IN THE ESC
/HE SAID