CONFIDENTIAL
FM HANOI 0602032 JUL 79
TC
ORITY FCO
CONFIDENTIAL.
TELEGRAM NO 199 OF 6 JULY
1310
Hkk243/1
INFO HONG KONG, WASHINGTON, SINGAPORE, MANILA, BANGKOK,
KUALA LUMPUR, JAKARTA
YOUR TEL NO 129: VIETNAMESE REFUGEES: SUSPECT SHIP
-PA
see (1742
1. I CALLED ON NGUYEN TRAN LIEU, DEPUTY HEAD OF EUROPE II
DEPARTMENT ON 5 JULY AND HANDED HIM AN AIDE MEMOIRE GIVING
DETAILS OF THE SUSPECT SHIP. I REMINDED HIM OF MAI VAN BO'S REMARK TO ME THAT ALL SHIPS COMING INTO VIETNAMESE PORTS WHICH
MIGHT CARRY REFUGEES WOULD BE ARRESTED (MY TELNO 18%, NOT TO
ALL). INFORMATION ON THE SUSPECT SHIP WOULD THEREFORE BE OF
ASSISTANCE TO VIETNAMESE GOVERNMENT.
2. LIEU REPLIED THAT HE WOULD CONVEY THE INFORMATION TO
AUTHORITIES CONCERNED. HE WENT ON TO SPEAK IN STRONGER TERMS
THAN BO ON VIETNAMESE QUOTE DETERMINATION TO STOP ALL ILLEGAL
EMIGRATION UNQUOTE. IN THE CONTEXT OF REFUGEES HE DEFINED
QUOTE ILLEGAL UNQUOTE AS THOSE PEOPLE WHO WERE LEAVING
VIETNAM CUTSIDE UNHCR AUSPICES AND WHO WERE NOT COMPLYING WITH VIETNAMESE LAW WHICH REQUIRED EXIT VISAS.
3. I THANKED HIM FOR HIS ASSURANCES BUT SAID THAT SUCCESS OF
VIETNAMESE POLICY WOULD BE JUDGED BY NUMBERS OF ARRIVALS IN
NEIGHBOURING COUNTRIES (I GAVE HIM LATEST FIGURES FOR HONG
KONG).
FCO PLEASE PASS ALL
MARGETSON
FILES
[PASSED AS REQUESTED]
A
I
SEAD
NEWS D M & VD
HK & GD
UND
FED
EESD
NAM D
SAD
EID
PUSD
OID
IPD
PS PS/LPS PS/MR HURD PS/MR BLAKER
PS/PUS
SIR A DUFF
SIR A PARSONS MR CORTAZZI MR MURRAY
MR STRATTON
ADDITIONAL DISTN
BOAT PEOPLE
CONFIDENTIAL