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CONFIDENTIAL
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CONFIDENTIALED SAY NO. 51
FM PFKING 038326Z JUNE 81
TORMITY HONG KONG
TELEGRAM NUMBER 37 OF 3 JUNE
INFO ROUTINE FCO
LY
- 4 JUN 1981
DESK OFFICER
PA
INDEX
No
Mas
REGISTRY Action Taken:
YOUR TBWNO 183 AND ORR'S LETTER OF 16 MAY TO PEIRCE: VIETNAMESE
REFUGEES FROM CHINA
1. PEIRCE SPOKE TO ZHENG YAZEN ON 2 JUNE. ZHENG TOLD HIM THAT
HE HAD REPORTED TO HIS SUPERIORS IMMEDIATELY AFTER PEIRCE'S CALL ON 19 MAY, BUT HAD NOT YET RECEIVED A REPLY. PEIRCE STRESSED THE NEED FOR RAPID ACTION AND BRIEFED HIM ON THE
SITUATION AS IN YOUR TUR. HE UNDERTOOK TO GIVE AN ANSWER AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
PGO 45
See
2. PEIRCE HAD ALSO CONTACTED JACQUES MOUCHET, UNHCR, WHO SAID THAT A LIST OF 122 REFUGEES WAS PRESENTED TO THE CHINESE LAST OCTOBER, FOLLOWED BY A SECOND LIST OF A FURTHER 30 REFUGEES.
THE MINISTRY OF CIVIL AFFAIRS HAD AT THAT TIME SAID THAT THERE WAS NO PROBLEM IN PRINCIPLE. THEY HAD SINCE REITERATED THIS MANY TIMES, AND AS RECENTLY AS LAST WEEK. MOUCHET HAD PRESSED THEM FORCEFULLY, AND THEY HAD TOLD HIM THAT THEY WERE NOW TRYING TO TRACE THE FAMILIES OF THE REFUGEES. WHEN THIS PROCESS WAS COMPLETE, THEY WOULD SEND A TEAM FROM GUANGDONG TO HONG KONG. MOUCHET SAID HE THOUGHT THAT THINGS WERE MOVING BUT ''AT CHINESE PACE''.
3. MOUCHET ADDED THAT HE HAD BEEN GIVEN TO UNDERSTAND THAT THE CHINESE WOULD BE SENDING A TEAM TO HONG KONG AT THE END OF JUNE OR IN JULY TO DISCUSS THE RETURN TO CHINA OF SOME OF THE VIETNAMESE REFUGEES UNDER DETENTION. (IE RATHER EARLIER THAN HE HAD PREVIOUSLY UNDERSTOOD THIS MIGHT HAPPEN., PEIRCE'S LETTER OF 21 MAY PARA 6 REFERS). HE SPECULATED THAT THE SAME TEAM MIGHT ALSO DEAL WITH THE MATTER IN PARA 2.
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