CONFIDENTIAL
(422)
005764
MDLIAN 8844
CONFIDENTIAL
FM LISBON
TO PRIORITY FCO
TELNO 162
OF 291050Z JUNE 88
383
HKD 24318
Y
OJUT 1988
TOP COPY Q DIST 7
OUR TELNO 159. VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE
1. HEAD OF CHANCERY CALLED ON CARLOS GASPAR, PRESIDENCY ADVISER ON ASIAN AFFAIRS, YESTERDAY. HE LEFT A SPEAKING NOTE ON THE LINES OF YOUR TELNO 133 TO ATHENS AND DREW ALSO ON TELNO 143 TO THE HAGUE
(NOT ORIGINALLY COPIED TO US).
2. GASPAR EXPRESSED UNDERSTANDING FOR THE UK'S CHANGE OF POLICY. THE
SITUATION IN HONG KONG HAD OBVIOUSLY BECOME INTOLERABLE. OUR DECISION WAS 'COURAGEOUS'. GASPAR UNDERTOOK TO INFORM BOTH THE
PRESIDENT AND THE MACAU AUTHORITIES OF HEAD OF CHANCERY'S CALL. HE WAS SURE THAT THE PRESIDENT WOULD INSTRUCT THE AUTHORITIES IN MACAU TO INFORM VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE THAT ECONOMIC MIGRANTS WOULD BE TREATED ON ARRIVAL IN HONG KONG AS ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS WITH NO CHANCE OF RESETTLEMENT. GASPAR DID NOT, HOWEVER, THINK THAT MACAU WOULD BE IN POSITION TO HELP WITH RESETTLEMENT. THE CURRENT FLOW OF IMMGRANTS FROM CHINA WAS AS MUCH AS MACAU COULD ABSORB, MOREOVER, VIETNAMESE REFUGEES HAD RARELY SHOWN ANY INTEREST IN SETTLING IN MACAU.
SIMPSON-ORLEBAR
YYYY
ΜΑΙΝ
57
DISTRIBUTION
57
LIMITED
HKD
SEAD
UND
NEWS DEPT
LEGAL ADVISERS
PS
PS/MR CHALKER
PS/LORD GLENARTHUR PS/PUS
MR GILLMORE
MR MCLAREN
N N N N