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THE UNWISDOM OF THEIR CYNICAL EXPLOITATION OF THEIR OWN PEOPLE FOR
THE POLITICAL PURPOSE OF CAUSING INSTABILITY (A POINT THE SINGAPOREAB
HAD MADE TO WALDHEIME), AND OF THE RUSSIANS BEING SHAMED INTO TRYING TO MODERATE THEIR ALLY'S OBNOXIOUS BEHAVIOUR.
3. CERTAINLY SINGAPORS COULD SPEAK TO THE RUSSIANS BUT WHAT GOOD
WOULD IT DO IN THE ABSENCE OF SUCH A DETERMINATION BY THE INTERNAT-
IONAL COMMUNITY? IT DID NOT SEEM THAT WE HAD GOT MUCH CHANGE OUT OF
THEM. I YRKED IF MOCHTAR'S POLICY OF NOT CRITICISING VIETNAM AT THE
JAKARTA CONFERENCE WAS ASEAN POLICY: THE THAIS HAD TOLD ME THAT IN
BANGKOK THEY WERE UNHAPPY WITH IT. RAJARTHAM SAID IT WAS NOT. HE
WOULD BE SEEING MOCHTAR AT THE WEEKEND AND WOULD DISCUSS WITH HIM
WHETHER ASEAN SHOULD ISSUE A STATEMENT CONDEMNING VIETNAM'S ACTIONS:
MAYBE THE FOREIGN MINISTERS WOULD HAVE TO MEET ON THIS, THE STATEMENT
COULD BE MADE SINGLY OR JOINTLY. POSSIBLY THAILAND, BECAUSE IT WAS
THE MORE EXPOSED, WOULD PREFER AOWOINT ONE. NO ONE SHOULD DELUDE
THEMSELVES THAT THE PROBLEM WOULD GO AWAY SEMICOLON IT WOULD BE
WITH US FOR A LONG TIME BEFORE THE VIETNAMESE COULD BE PREVAILED
UPON TO MODERATE THEIR ACTIONS. IT WOULD REQUIRE SUSTAINED PRESE
FROM THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY,
RE
4. RAJARATNAM WAS SCORNFUL ABOUT THE INDONESIAN PROPOSAL FOR AN
ISLAND PROCESSING CENTRE. THE ISLAND THEY HAD NOW OFFERED WAS TOTALLY
UNDEVELOPED. THE SCHEME WAS PERHAPS LITTLE MORE THAN A DEVICE FOR
GETTING INTERNATIONAL AID FOR ITS DEVELOPMENT. WHEN THAT ISLAND
WAS FULL, ANOTHER WOULD BE OFFERED FOR SIMILAR UPLIFT. THE
PHILIPPINES HAD PERHAPS THE SAME IDEA.
5. ALTOGETHER A TYPICALLY HARD-NOSED SINGAPOEAN APPRO
PROACH,
6. I ALSO GAVE RAJARATHAM A COPY OF THE PRIME MINISTER'S MESSAGE TO
LEE KUAN YEW SEEKING HIS INTERVENTION WITH TAIWAN, HE SAID HE HAD
SEEN IT. SINGAPORE COULD DO NOTHING OVERTLY, BUT IT MIGHT JUST BE
FOSSIBLE TO SAY SOMETHING DISCREETLY AND QUIETLY. WERE
ME AS ING THAT THE TAIWANESE TAKE THESE PEOPLE FOR SETTLEMENT OR ONLY ACCEPT
THEM TEMPORARILY PENDING SETTLEMENT ELSEWHERE? I SAID THE FIRST WOULD
DE BY FAR THE BEST SOLUTION, BUT THE SECOND WOULD BE BETTER THAN NOTHING, AND WOULD AT LEAST MEAN THAT TAIWAN WOULD BE DOING WHAT OTHER COUNTRIES HAD ALREADY DONE, DHARABALAN ADDED THAT THE FACT THAT
MOST VIETNAMESE CHINESE WERE CANTONESE WAS A BIG STUMBLING BLOCK WITH THE TAIWANESE SEMICOLON THEY WERE INCOMPATIBLES.
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