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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
ΤΟ WOULD BE DISCUSSING WITH HIS COLLEAGUES THE PROPOSAL 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.
TO VR'S: THIS COULD SIMPLY MAGNIFY THE PROBLEM.
THE
THE SOONER THIS WAS ANOTHER COMMITMENT TO HONG KONG. LEGCO MEMBERS COULD
THE SECRETARY OF
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. THIS MATTER COULD NOW BE PUT TO BED, THE BETTER. ISSUE WHICH WAS SEEN AS A TEST OF HMG'S MOREOVER, THIS WAS ELECTION YEAR AND SOME STILL MAKE MISCHIEF. TIME WAS NOW RUNNING OUT BEFORE THE SUMMER RECESS AND LEGCO'S SUBSEQUENT DISSOLUTION. 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.
JULY 1987, 5. MEMBERS NOTED THAT, SINCE ITS INTRODUCTION ON 1 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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