CONFIDENTIAL
TOP COP O DIST 7
HKD 243/8
166175
MDHIAN 8417
132
CONFIDENTIAL
FM HONG KONG
TO DESKBY 06090OOZ FCO
TELNO 1698
OF 060805Z MAY 88
INFO PRIORITY WASHINGTON, HANOI
No сови
1
YOUR TELNO 1150 (NOT TO WASHINGTON) VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE
•
1 I AM GLAD THAT MCLAREN WILL BE SPEAKING TODAY TO THE VIETNAMESE AMBASSADOR ABOUT THE GROWING INFLUX OF BOAT PEOPLE.
I AGREE WITH THE LINE PROPOSED IN TUR.
2. THE UP-TO-DATE POSITION IS AS FOLLOWS. SO FAR THIS YEAR (AS OF 6 MAY) NEARLY 3,000 PEOPLE HAVE ARRIVED BY BOAT FROM VIETNAM. THIS COMPARES WITH 473 DURING SAME PERIOD LAST YEAR. IT AMOUNTS TO A SIXFOLD INCREASE. ON AVERAGE THERE HAVE BEEN SOME 120 ARRIVALS PER DAY SO FAR IN MAY 166 PEOPLE ARRIVED IN 8 BOATS TODAY: 110 IN 6 THE DAY BEFORE. RECENT ARRIVALS REPORT SOME 20 FURTHER BOATS ON THE WAY. WE ARE NOT YET HOWEVER ABLE TO CHECK
THE ACCURACY OF THIS REPORT.
·
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3. OUR TOTAL POPULATION IS NOW 11,745 OVER HALF AS MUCH AGAIN AS THIS TIME LAST YEAR. RESETTLEMENT DEPARTURES SO FAR THIS YEAR TOTAL 840 (COMPARED WITH 816 FOR THE SAME PERIOD LAST YEAR). THE DISPARITY BETWEEN THESE FIGURES REQUIRES NO COMMENT.
WILSON
YYYY
ΜΑΙΝ
28
LIMITED
HKD
NNNN
DISTRIBUTION
28
SEAD
MR MCLAREN
PAGE
1
CONFIDENTIAL