INTERNATIONAL AVIATION AND TOURISM DIVIDION
DEPARTMENT OF TRADE
RESTRICTED
LF Standen Esq
PO Box 460
ICAO
1 VICTORIA STREET
LONDON SW1H DET
PA
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Telephone Direct Line
Switchboard
01-215 5123
01-215 7877
International Aviation Square 1000 Sherbrooke Street West
Montreal
Quebec Canada
Rear Leslie,
Our ref ED 19/9
HKK 184/21
15 October 1982
1982 :
Af 2710 1
10
VIETNAM:
HO CHI MINH FLIGHT INFORMATION REGION
who
The
The Ho Chi Minh (formally Saigon) Flight Information Region is currently administered by Hong Kong, Bangkok and Singapore, each look. after the parts abutting on their own regions. Vietnamese would like to re-establish their control, and have recently sent the attached aide memoire to our Embassy in Hanoi. Similar approaches have been made to the Singapore and Thai authorities.
2
If ICAO are satisfied about the technical competence of the Vietnamese authorities neither we in London nor the Civil Aviation Department in Hong Kong have any objection in principle to their
However, there is a potential political resuming responsibility. problem, in that the Chinese have a claim to the Paracel Islands, and might well make difficulties about Vietnam exercising air traffic control over this air space. Obviously, at a time when the Prime Minister has just opened delicate negotiations with the Chinese about the future of Hong Kong, we have no wish to get involved on Hong Kong's account in a dispute between Vietnam and China about Our interest, therefore, sovereignty about the Paracel Islands. on behalf of Hong Kong, is to keep as low a profile in this as possible.
3
We have therefore instructed our Ambassador in Hanoi to send a non-committal reply to the Vietnamese note drawing their attention to the opportunity to discuss the matter both bilaterally and multi- laterally at the Regional Air Navigation Conference which is due to
We hope the matter can be take place in Singapore next January. resolved there on a technical level, and that the Chinese will be persuaded not to make an issue of their dispute over the Paracel Islands on the grounds that such matters are not prejudice by practical arrangements for the administration of FIRS.
(Hongkong) Hanoi, 1) ce FED (with a copy of McLaren (vagyang)Later to lamine)
HKGD
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