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MDHIAN 9248
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FM KUALA LUMPUR
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
TELNO 411
OF 030815Z AUGUST 88
INFO PRIORITY SINGAPORE, BANGKOK, JAKARTA, HANOI, PEKING
INFO PRIORITY MOSCOW, WASHINGTON, UKMIS NEW YORK, PARIS, HONG KONG
OUR TELNO 351: MALAYSIAN DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER TO VISIT HANOI
1. THE MALAYSIANS HAVE ANNOINCED THAT THEIR TEAM TO VISIT HANOI WILL NOW BE LED BY THE DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER, GHAFAR BABA. THE FOREIGN
MINISTER, DATUK ABU HASSAN OMAR WILL ACCOMPANY HIM. DATES FOR THE
VISIT ARE STILL NOT CONFIRMED BUT IT SHOULD BE TOWARDS THE END OF AUGUST..
12. GHAFAR BABA IS LEADING THE TEAM OSTENSIBLY BECAUSE HE HAS
RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE TASK FORCE ON REFUGEES IN THE PRIME MINISTER'S
DEPARTMENT. HOWEVER, THE HIGHER POLITICAL PROFILE WHICH HIS PRESENCE GIVES TO THE VISIT WILL BE A FACTOR OF WHICH THE MALAYSIANS ARE FULLY CONSCIOUS: IN PARTICULAR, THEY SEE IT AS AN ADVANTAGE IN TRYING TO PERSUADE THE VIETNAMESE TO ATTEND THE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON INDO CHINESE REFUGEES, WHICH MALAYSIA IS PUSHING FOR.
3. IN A BRIEFING FOR THE PRESS, FOREIGN MINISTRY SECRETARY-GENERAL YUSOFF HITAM SAID THAT ALTHOUGH MALAYSIA'S AND ASEAN'S VIEWS ON THE PROBLEM OF REFUGEES OVERLAPPED, MALAYSIA'S POSITION ON THE MATTER QUOTE CONTAINED SPECIFIC DETAILS UNQUOTE. GHAFAR BABA WOULD
BRIEF THE VIETNAMESE ON THE CLOSURE OF THE PULAU BIDONG REFUGEE
AND WOULD ALSO ASK THE VIETNAMESE FOR THEIR VIEWS ON THE
QUESTION OF REFUGEES RETURNING TO VIETNAM
4. COMMENT
THE MALAYSIANS ARE HOPING THAT THIS VISIT WILL PROVE A TURNING
POINT IN WORKING OUT A SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM OF THE REFUGEES. BUT THERE IS A DANGER THAT THEIR OPTIMISM, AND IN PARTICULAR THEIR DECISION TO FIELD THE DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER, WILL MEAN THAT THEY WILL FEEL OBLIGED TO RETURN WITH SOMETHING TO SHOW THE
MALAYSIAN PUBLIC: AND THE VIETNAMESE MAY THUS BE ABLE TO EXTRACT
GOOD TERMS.
SPRECKLEY
CAMP,