CONFIDENTIAL
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ony Umou
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MDLIAN 3651
CONFIDENTIAL
FM HANO I
TO PRIORITY FCO
TELNO 414
(REPEATED
-
VERSION)
OF 11055OZ NOVEMBER 88
AND TO PRIORITY HONG KONG
INFO ROUTINE UKMIS GENEVA BANGKOK, BANDAR SERI BAGAWAN, JAKARTA INFO ROUTINE KUALA LUMPUR MANILA SINGAPORE, TOKYO, CANBERRA INFO ROUTINE OTTAWA, WASHINGTON
CALL ON FOREIGN MINISTER: BOAT PEOPLE
+
1 DURING MY CALL ON THACH YESTERDAY AFTERNOON, WE DISCUSSED THE
PROBLEM OF BOAT PEOPLE.
2. I VOLUNTEERED THAT THE BILATERAL TALKS HAD BEEN SUCCESSFUL AND
THAT THE PROBLEM SEEMED TO BE WELL ON THE WAY TO BEING RESOLVED.
IT WAS GOOD THAT PLANS WERE WELL ADVANCED FOR A FIRST BATCH OF
RETURNEES BEFORE THE END OF THE YEAR IT WAS IMPORTANT TO KEEP UP
THE MOMENTUM SO AS TO REINFORCE THE DETERRENT EFFECT AND ENCOURAGE
MORE VOLUNTEERS. I ADDED THAT IT WOULD BE GOOD IF MORE VOLUNTEERS
CAME FORWARD BUT THAT WE MUST FACE UP TO THE FACT THAT AT SOME STAGE
WE SHOULD BE DEALING WITH NON-VOLUNTEERS.
3. IN RESPONSE, THACH SAID THAT HE BELIVED THAT A WELL ARRANGED PROGRAMME OF RETURNEES SHOULD ENCOURAGE MORE VOLUNTEERS. HOWEVER HE UNDERSTOOD OUR PROBLEM. IF THERE WAS A GOOD SPIRIT OF COOPERTION
BETWEEN US THEN THE PROBLEM COULD BE SOLVED. HE WAS LESS HAPPY
ABOUT THE AGREEMENT WITH THE MALAYSIANS WHO WERE TRYING TO SEND
ALL BOAT PEOPLE BACK EN MASSE RATHER THAN IN A PHASED MANNER
STARTING WITH VOLUNTEERS. I STRESSED THAT IT WAS OF COURSE OUR INTENTIION TO RETURN ALL SCREENED OUT BOAT PEOPLE. THACH SAID THAT HE HAD RECENTLY DISCUSSED WITH CHEYSSON, THE EC OFFER OF AID
INCLUDING THE IDEA THAT IT SHOULD BE EXTENDED TO ASSIST
RETURNEES' COMMUNITIES. I INDICATED THAT HMG WOULD NOT BE HAPPY ABOUT DEVELOPMENT AID.
4. AT ONE POINT THACHMADE THE INTERESTING SUGGESTION THAT BOAT
PEOPLE WHO HAD SUCCESSFULLY REINTEGRATED INTO VIETNAM SHOULD BE INVITED BACK TO HONG KONG TO TELL THEIR STORIES TO VIETNAMESE
STILL IN HONG KONG. SIMILARLY, REPRESENTATIVES OF THE BOAT PEOPLE
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CONFIDENTIAL