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MCD 243/5
мний
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REGISTAY 2 50CT 1900
FIC
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CONFIDENTIAL
ENTIA
From:
R.
Sexton
W250
cm 247
CO Hum
OCT OCT 1988
7 G
La
ns
State
Hong Kong Department
Private Secretary
N
Date: 18 October 1988
CC: Mr McLaren
Mr Burns, News Dept
VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE: PRESS TREATMENT
1.
Please refer to Mr Peirce's minute of 17 October about
John Dickie's article in the Daily Mail. The Secretary of State
asked where Mr Dickie got the story that Britain might let in 1,000
more boat people for settlement.
2.
Mr Burns tells me that News Department have taxed Mr Dickie
Mr Dickie says that he got the figure from Home Office
on this.
sources.
3.
The Secretary of State's robust article in the Daily Mail seems to have had its desired effect of blunting the newspaper's A attack over boat people. The editorial which subsequently
appeared in the Daily Mail was very much more balanced than the
earlier editorial treatment of the story. It states that "We wel1
understand why Sir Geoffrey Howe took this decision [to send boat
people back to Vietnam]
• ·
There are.
•
•
many calls on Britain's compassion and it is for the Government to balance them".
B An editorial in the Daily Telegraph was less satisfactory: but
its main thrust was to support the call by the British Refugee
Council that we should increase our commitment to resettle boat
CONFIDENTIAL