CRS 225
CIDENTIAL UK EYES ALPHA
FM VIENTIANE 150949Z JAN
CONFIDENTIAL
Hkk 243/1
PA
TO ROUTINE HONG KONG
TELEGRAM NO.03 OF 15 JANUARY
INFO ROUTINE TO F.C.O. AND CANBERRA
No
AN DEU AVING TO HANOI
PA
1811
Action Taken
14
PERSON AL FOR POLAD
YOUR TELEGRAM NUMBER 01 TO HANOI : VIETNAMESE REFUGEES
1. THE AUSTRALIAN CHARGE. CALLED ON ME THIS AFTERNOON TO DISCUSS CAMBODIAN AFFAIRS. DURING A TOUR D'HORIZON (LAST TWO WORDS UNDER-- LINED) HE MENTIONED THE STATEMENT BY THE AUSTRALIAN MINISTER OF IMMIGRATION ON 4 JANUARY AND A MORE RECENT STATEMENT BY TAX MINISTER OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS. I ASKED HIM WHERE THEY HAD GOT THE INFORMATION AND HE SAID THAT MOST OF IT HAD COME FROM AN AUSTRAL IAN NATIONAL ORIGINALLY FROM CHINA (HAINAN) WHO HAD VISITED HO CHI MINH IN MID-DECEMBER AND HAD SPOKEN TO A LOT OF HAINANESE, WITH SOME OF WHOM HE WAS RELATED, AND HAD THEN GONE ON TO HANOI AND HONG KONG.
2.
THE CHARGE SPONTANEOUSLY BROUGHT UP ANOTHER SOURCE'S NAME WHICH I ASSUME FROM MY OWN BACKGROUND WAS THE SAME AS THAT MENTIONED IN HANOI TELEGRAM NUMBER 144 TO HONG KONG (NOT COPIED TO ME). APPARENTLY THAT SOURCE ALSO HAD SPOKEN TO THE AUSTRALIANS IN HANOI RECENTLY, BUT WAS NOT THE ORIGINATOR OF THE INFORMATION GIVEN IN
HANOI TELEGRAM NUMBER 144.
3a THE CHARGE SAID THAT THE NEW AUSTRALIAN AMBASSADOR WAS DUE IN HANOI LATER THIS MONTH, BUT THAT THE INDICATIONS WERE THAT THE AUSTRALIANS, AS A MARK OF DISAPPROVAL, WOULD HOLD UP HIS ARRIVAL.
STEWART
FILES
UND
HKGD
PS/MR.IUARD PS/FUS
SEAD
SIR A.DUFF
FED
MR.CORTAZZI
FUSD
MR.WEIR
SAD
MR.MURRAY.
MVD
PS
PS/LORD CORONWY KOBERTS
CONFIDENTIAL