Fco 40/2468.
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TO VR'S: THIS COULD SIMPLY MAGNIFY THE PROBLEM. THE ESSENCE OF
THE PROBLEM WAS THAT THE VIETNAMESE GOVERNMENT HAD TESTED STALINISM
TO DESTRUCTION WITH THE RESULT THAT PEOPLE FOUND IT DIFFICULT TO EKE OUT A LIVING. HE REAFFIRMED THAT HMG WOULD CONTINUE TO BRING
PRESSURE TO BEAR ON THE VIETNAMESE GOVERNMENT BOTH THROUGH THE
SOVIET GOVERNMENT AND BY DIRECT CONTACTS. THE SECRETARY OF STATE
WOULD BE DISCUSSING WITH HIS COLLEAGUES THE PROPOSAL TO
INTRODUCE SCREEING AND THE DETENTION OF THOSE WHO WERE FOUND NOT
TO BE GENUINE REFUGEES: BUT HMG WOULD NEED TO CONSIDER WHETHER THE
PRESCRIPTION WOULD HAVE SUFFICIENT IMPACT ON THE NUMBERS COMING.
IT WOULD NOT BE EASY TO SUSTAIN A POLICY OF DETAINING INDEFINITELY
THOSE WHO FAILED TO PASS THE SCREEING. THE SECRETARY OF STATE SAID THAT, GIVEN THAT BOAT PEOPLE COULD NOT COMPLETE THEIR JOURNEY TO HONG KONG WITHOUT FREQUENT STOPS EN ROUTE ALONG THE CHINESE COAST, A FRUITFUL MEASURE MIGHT BE TO PERSUADE THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT TO ISSUE WARNINGS TO BOAT PEOPLE OF THE
LIKELIHOOD OF SCREEING AND DETENTION ON ARRIVAL IN HONG KONG.
HOWEVER THE ROLE OF CHINA IN ASSISTING BOAT PEOPLE ON THEIR
WAY TO HONG KONG WAS BETTER NOT PUBLICISED AT THIS STAGE.
THE
4. MEMBERS SAID THAT THE HONG KONG PUBLIC HAD BEEN ENCOURAGED BY
MY ANNOUNCEMENT FOLLOWING MY MARCH VISIT TO LONDON THAT AN AGREEMENT HAD BEEN ACHIEVED IN PRINCIPLE ON DEFENCE COSTS.
SUBSEQUENT DELAY HAD GIVEN THE WRONG IMPRESSION. THE SOONER THIS MATTER COULD NOW BE PUT TO BED, THE BETTER. THIS WAS ANOTHER
ISSUE WHICH WAS SEEN AS A TEST OF HMG'S COMMITMENT TO HONG KONG. MOREOVER, THIS WAS ELECTION YEAR AND SOME LEGCO MEMBERS COULD STILL MAKE MISCHIEF. TIME WAS NOW RUNNING OUT BEFORE THE SUMMER
RECESS AND LEGCO'S SUBSEQUENT DISSOLUTION. THE SECRETARY OF
STATE SAID THAT AGREEMENT IN PRINCIPLE HAD ALREADY BEEN REACHED. WORK WAS NOW IN HAND TO PUT DOWN ON PAPER THE SUBSIDIARY DETAILS
OF THE AGREEMENT. IN DOING SO IT WAS IMPORTANT NOT TO LET THE
BEST BECOME THE ENEMY OF THE GOOD. WITH GOOD WILL HE HOPED THE
PROBLEM COULD NOW BE RESOLVED. THE COUNCIL NOTED THAT A NEW
DOCUMENT HAD NOW BEEN RECEIVED FROM THE MOD AND THAT IT WAS HOPED THAT THIS WOULD PROVIDE THE BASIS FOR DISCUSSIONS TO RESUME IN
MID JUNE.
5. MEMBERS NOTED THAT, SINCE ITS INTRODUCTION ON 1 JULY 1987, ONLY 29,000 BN (0) PASSPORTS HAD BEEN ISSUED AS COMPARED TO 132,000
BDTC PASSPORTS. THIS SUGGESTED A LACK OF CONFIDENCE IN THE NEW PASSPORT. THEY URGED HMG TO CONTINUE ITS EFFORTS TO SECURE ACCEPTANCE OF THE BN (O) PASSPORT, GENERALLY TO SECURE VISA FREE PRIVILEGES FOR BOTH BDTC AND BN (0) PASSPORT HOLDERS,
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