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RAJARATNAM STRONGLY URGED THAT WE STEP UP OUR AID TO THE
REA NOT ONLY IN INDONESIA BUT ALSO IN THAILAND, WHICH FELT PARTICULARLY THREATENED. (OFFICIALS LATER COMPLAINED ABOUT THE
EEC'S NARROW-MINDED ATTITUDE TOWARDS THAILAND'S TAPIOCA EXPORTS WIICH WERE IMPORTANT TO HER), THE ECONOMIC STABILITY OF ASEAN WAS FUNDAMENTAL FOR ITS FUTURE SECURITY AND OUR TECHNICAL
ASSISTANCE PROGRAMME WAS A VALUABLE CONTRIBUTION TO ALL THE
ASEAN COUNTRIES. MALAYSIA AND THE PHILIPPINES SHOULD NOT BE NEGLECTED,
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RAJARATNAM SAID THAT SINGAPORE HAD ASSUMED IN THE LAST FEW YEARS THAT BRITISH PRIORITIES HAD CHANGED. HE HAD BEEN DELIGHTED AT MR JOHN SMITH'S VISIT, THE FIRST BY A BRITISH CABINET MINISTER FOR SOME YEARS. MR VARLEY'S FORTHCOMING VISIT WAS ANOTHER GOOD SIGN. SOUTH EAST ASIA NOW APPEARED TO BE A NEW ATTRACTION, PARTLY BECAUSE OF DEVELOPMENTS IN THE REGION AND PARTLY BECAUSE
CF DEVELOPMENTS IN THE REGION AND PARTLY BECAUSE OF THE OPENING
UP OF CHINA. IN THE LONG RUN THE BATTLE IN SOUTH EAST ASIA WAS ESSENTIALLY ECONOMIC/POLITICAL. HE BELIEVED THAT POLITICALLY ASEAN WAS NOW SOLID (UNLIKE VIETNAM ASEAN DID NOT NEED TO INVADE
OTHER COUNTRIES TO CONSOLIDATE ITSELF). ECONOMICALLY ASEAN WAS
FAR AHEAD OF INDO-CHINA. HE DID NOT RULE OUT THE POSSIBILITY
IN A FEW YEARS OF ASEAN PROVIDING A FEW SWEETENERS FOR THE
VIETNAMESE.
ASEAN COULD ACT AS A MAGNET FOR VIETNAM IN THE SAME
WAY AS THE DEVELOPED WEST WAS NOW ATTRACTING CHINA AS THE ONLY WAY TO DEVELOP ITS ECONOMY. IF VIETNAM WANTED TO PLUG INTO ASEAN, ASEAN COULD HOLD OUT FOR VIETNAM'S.GOOD BEHAVIOUR BEFORE GIVING AWAY TOO MUCH. EVENTS IN KAMPUCHEA GAVE ASEAN FURTHER BREATHING SPACE. THIS SHOULD BE USED BY ASEAN AND ITS FRIENDS (SINGAPORE AND MALAYSIA LOOKED PARTICULARLY TO BRITAIN BECAUSE OF OLD RELATIONSHIPS).
11. ON NON-ALIGNED SUPPORT FOR ACTION AGAINST VIETNAM IN THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY, RAJARATNAM FELT THAT THE ISSUE SHOULD NOT BE PRESSED TOO HARD, AT PRESENT. IT WOULD BE A MISTAKE TO PUSH THE NON-ALIGNED (AND PARTICULARLY THE AFRICANS) IN A WAY WHICH MIGHT CAUSE THEM TO TAKE UP A NEGATIVE POSITION WHICH THEY MIGHT FIND
DIFFICULT TO REVERSE LATER. BEFORE THE NEXT GENERAL ASSEMBLY
SESSION THERE COULD WELL BE A FULL-SCALE ANTI-VIETNAM INSURGENCY
IN KAMPUCHEA WHICH THE NON-ALIGNED MIGHT THEN BE WILLING TO
SUPPORT,
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