CONFIDENTIAL
нко 24318
K8
041016
MDHIAN 6695
CONFIDENTIAL
RECEIVE
7. Y
FM HONG KONG
11 JUL 1988
TO DESKBY 11120OZ FCO
TELNO 2658
INDC
FICER
PA
HY
<en
OF 11100OZ JULY 88
AND TO IMMEDIATE HANOI
TOP COPY Q DIST ?
INFO PRIORITY BANGKOK, KUALA LUMPUR, SINGAPORE, MANILA INFO PRIORITY JAKARTA, BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, WASHINGTON
INFO PRIORITY CANBERRA, OTTAWA, TOKYO, UKMIS GENEVA, PEKING
478
YOUR TELNO TOT: VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE IN HONG KONG : VIETNAMESE REQUEST FOR TALKS.
1. WE LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR SEPARATE TELEGRAM ON STRATEGY FOR THE TALKS. MEANWHILE IT MIGHT BE HELPFUL IF I SET OUT HOW WE SEE THE
AIMS AND LIMITATIONS FROM THE HONG KONG POINT OF VIEW.
2. I FULLY UNDERSTAND MINISTERS' CONCERN THAT THE TALKS SHOULD BE HANDLED WITHIN THE WIDER CONTEXT OF INDO-CHINESE PROBLEMS, AND THE RISKS OF OUR APPEARING TO AROUSE UNDUE EXPECTATIONS, EITHER WITH THE VIETNAMESE OR THE MEDIA. WITH THIS IN MIND I SUGGEST THAT OUR OBJECTIVES FOR THIS EXPLORATORY ROUND SHOULD BE:
A) TO IMPRESS ON THE VIETNAMESE THE SERIOUSNESS OF THE PROBLEM OF
BOATE PEOPLE FOR HONG KONG:
B) TO PRESS FURTHER FOR THEIR COOPERATION IN STOPPING THE OUTFLOW:
C) TO IMPRESS ON THE VIETNAMESE THEIR RESPONSIBILITY TO TAKE
ECONOMIC MIGRANTS BACK AND TO EXPLORE WAYS IN WHICH THIS COULD BE
DONE.
3. ON (B) WE WOULD URGE THE VIETNAMESE TO GIVE MORE PUBLICITY TO OUR NEW POLICY AND WOULD COME READY WITH PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS FOR LINES TO BE TAKEN ON THE RADIO ETC. WE WOULD EMPHASISE THE POLITICAL PROBLEMS WHICH THE OUTFLOW WAS CAUSING FOR VIETNAM'S IMAGE IN THE REGION. ON (C) WE SHOULD CERTAINLY MAKE CLEAR THAT WE WERE TALKING ABOUT INVOLUNTARY AS WELL AS VOLUNTARY RETURNS. I KNOW THAT THE
VIETNAMESE HAVE TOLD UNHCR THAT THEY ARE ONLY PREPARED TO CONTEMPLATE A VOLUNTARY SCHEME BUT WE MUST ARGUE THAT WE NEED TO
DISCUSS ALL VIETNAMESE WHO HAVE LEFT VIETNAM AND ENTERED HONG KONG
ILLEGALLY. WE ARE MUCH ENCOURAGED BY THE FACT THAT FAEEUDDIN AHMED
ROBUSTLY TOLD THE VIETNAMESE THAT THEY MUST BE PREPARED TO ACCEPT
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