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MDTTAN 6931
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TO TELELETTER FCO
TELELETTER NFR
OF 020835Z FEBRUARY 88
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AND TO TELELETTER WASHINGTON, UKMIS NEW YORK, UKMIS GENEVA AND TO TELELETTER HANOI, HONG KONG
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FOLLOWING FOR:
COPIED TO:
P.L. BEAN, BRITISH EMBASSY, BANGKOK.
DR M.D. REILLY, SEAD, FCO. CHANCERIES WASHINGTON
UKMIS NEW YORK
UKMIS GENEVA
HANOI
HONG KONG
2
Volumere
noch, Rither im Sintle.
HUD 243/8
:FEB 1988
23/2
SUMMARY
THAI GOVERNMENT HAS BEGUN CRACKING DOWN ON THE VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE.
1.
LUX OF
DETAIL
2. OVER THE PAST FEW DAYS LOCAL NEWSPAPERS HAVE REPORTED A CRACK-DOWN BY THE THAI AUTHORITIES ON THE INFLUX OF VIETNAMESE REFUGEES IN TRAT PROVINCE IN SOUTH EAST THAILAND.
3.
THE EASE WITH WHICH VIETNAMESE REFUGEES HAVE BEEN ABLE TO COME OVERLAND THROUGH CAMBODIA TO THE CAMBODIAN PART OF KOMPONG SOM, AND THENCE BY SEA TO THAILAND HAS LED, TO A REASSESSMENT OF THAI POLICY. PREVIOUSLY THESE REFUGEES HAVE BEEN ELIGIBLE FOR REFUGEE STATUS, BUT THE LARGE INCREASE IN NUMBERS ARRIVING IN TRAT PROVINCE IS CAUSING THE THAIS TO RECONSIDER THEIR POSITION. ACCORDING TO THE THAI DEPUTY PERMANENT SECRETARY FOR INTERIOR SOMPORN KLINPONGSA, THE THAIS WILL BE CRACKING DOWN ON THE EASE WITH WHICH VIETNAMESE CAN ARRIVE IN THAILAND BY THIS ROUTE. SOMPORN RECENTLY ORDERED LOCAL OFFICIALS TO ESCORT A BOAT CARRY -ING FORTY VIETNAMESE OUT OF THAI WATERS. (THIS ACTION WAS WIDELY COVERED IN THE LOCAL MEDIA.) SOMPORN ALSO SIMULTANEOUSLY ANNOUNCED THAT A SIMILAR POLICY TO QUOTE PUSH BACK UNQUOTE
ACCROSS THE MEKONG LAOTIAN ASYLUM SEEKERS ENTERING THAILAND,
RIVER IN THE NORTH OF THE COUNTRY, WAS TO BE INTRODUCED. ADD-
1
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