GR 350
AN UNCLASSIFIED
FM WASHINGTON 121900Z
TO PRIORITY FCO
TELEGRAM NUMBER 1465 OF 12 JUNE 79
HKK 243
RELIVERY
DESK C
INDEX
1074
PA
142%
INFORMATION PRIORITY HONG KONG, UK MIS GENEVA AND HANOI.
INFO SAVING UK MIS NEW YORK, PEKING, SINGAPORE, BANCKOK, JAKARTA
AND KUALA LUMPUR.
INDO-CHINESE REFUGEES.
.1. THE FRONT PAGE LEAD ARTICLE OF TODAY'S NEW YORK TIMES IS A
REPOK BY FOX PUTTERFIELD, DATELINED HONGKONG, AROUT THE VIETNAM REFUGEES SITUATION, IT STATES THAT VIETNAM APPEARS DETERMINED TO EX-
PEL VIRTUALLY ALL ETHNIC CHINESE AND IS EXACTING HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS FROM THEM BEFORE THEIR DEPARTURE.
THE ARTICLE QUOTES VU HOANG, THE HEAD OF THE CONSULAR DEPARTMENT OF THE VIETNAMESE FOREIGN MINISTRY, AS TELLING THE REPRESENTATIVE CF A FOREIGN RELIEF AGENCY THAT THE GOVERMENT WANTED TO EXPFL THE CHINESE AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE, AND SAYING THAT THERE ARE STILL 808,000 TO 1.2 MILLION CHINESE IN SOUTH VIETNAM. A WESTERN DIPLO- MAT IN HANDI' IS REPORTED AS SAYING THAT ROUGHLY 200,000 CHINESE HAVE BEEN EXPELLED OR HAVE FLED FROM NORTHERN VIETNAM IN THE LAST 12 MONTHS. THE SAME SOURCE IS QUOTED AS SAYING THAT FUNDS COLLECTED FROM REFUGEES LEAVING VIETNAM MAKE UP THE ''LARGEST SINGLE EXPORT COMMODITY OF VIETNAM'S ECONOMY, REPLACING COAL. THE ARTICLE QUOTES AN INTELLIGENCE REPORT AVAILABLE IN HONG KONG TO THE EFFECT THAT THE VIETNAMESE HAVE USED SOME OF THIS MONEY TO MAKE A DOW' PAYMENT TO THE SOVIET UNION FOR ITS AID AND ARMS SALES, INTERNATIONAL BANKING SOURCES IN HONG KONG ARE REPORTED AS SAYING THAT OVERSEAS CHINESE HAVE REMITTED US DOLLARS 242 MILLION TO THE BANK OF VIETNAM IN HO CHI MINH CITY IN APRIL, MOST OF THIS MONEY BEING DESTINED TO PAY FOR BOAT PASSAGES.
/ 2. FULL