布政司署
CONFIDENTIAL
香港下亞用中道
MON
DRO
PA
28
GOVERNMENT SECRETARIAT
LOWER ALBERT ROAD
HONG KONG
* Our Ref: SCR 27/65
來函檔號 Your Ref:
10 May 1988
HUD 243/5 news
низ
CCW Adams Esq
SEAD
FCO
Л
MEX-NISIS
18/
COUNTRY ASSESSMENT PAPER: VIETNAM
We were very grateful to get a copy of both
the Cambodia and Vietnam country assessment papers for 1988. Could I offer one comment on the Vietnamese one? In neither Section II or IV (British Interests and Objectives) is there any indication that it
is a British interest to tackle the Vietnamese refugee problem. Of course I appreciate that this is primarily a Hong Kong interest in the first instance but quite apart from HMG's responsibilities for Hong Kong's foreign affairs, it must surely be generally politically desirable for HMG to work on Vietnam to get shot of this bugbear. I know that you do in fact appreciate this and that the notion of increased pressure on Vietnam both to reduce the flow of refugees and to take people back is already part of our policy towards Hanoi. But it would presumably be helpful to ministers and officials, as well as reassuring to Hong Kong, if this were written into the country assessment.
cc CO Hum Esq, HKD
R D Clift
CONFIDENTIAL