CONFIDENTIAL
FM HONG KONG TO IMMEDIATE
TELNO 2930
FCO
OF 031030Z AUGUST 88
CONFIDENTIAL
HKO24318
INE
1988
Mul
TOP COPY Q DIST 7
INFO IMMEDIATE HANOI, WASHINGTON, UKMIS GENEVA, BANGKOK
598
131644
MDHIAN 9279
VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE
ADAMS (HEAD OF THE CONSULAR SECTION) AND MURPHY (REFUGEE OFFICER) OF THE US CONSULATE CALLED ON HANSON (REFUGEE CO-ORDINATOR) EARLIER TODAY TO PRESENT THE TEXT OF A MESSAGE OF CONCERN ABOUT CONDITIONS FOR VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE IN HONG KONG. THE TEXT IS IN MIFT. WE EXPECT THAT IT HAS ALSO BEEN HANDED TO YOU.
2. WE ARE SLIGHTLY SURPRISED BY THE GENERAL LINE AND THE SPECIFIC CONCERNS EXPRESSED IN THE US NOTE. WE THOUGHT OUR PROBLEMS WERE UNDERSTOOD BETTER BY THE AMERICANS, AND WE WOULD BE CONCERNED IF THEY REFLECTED A GENERAL IMPRESSION IN WASHINGTON THAT CONDITIONS IN HONG KONG CAMPS ARE POOR. WE CAN TAKE A LITTLE COMFORT FROM THE FACT THAT THE NOTE DOES NOT APPEAR TO CHALLENGE THE PRINCIPLE OF SCREENING.
3. THE NOTE DRAWS PARTICULAR ATTENTION TO CONDITIONS IN THE SAN YICK FACTORY BUILDING WHICH WILL BE FILLED IN STAGES OVER THE NEXT WEEK WITH VR'S DECANTED FROM CHI MA WAN. CONDITIONS ARE FAR FROM IDEAL BUT WE ARE REASSESSING THE PLANS TO HOUSE 4,800 IN THE BUILDING. WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO REDUCE THE NUMBER BUT THIS WILL ADD TO OUR
PRESSURES ELSEWHERE.
4. WE ARE ALSO TAKING ACTION TO FIND RECREATION SPACE AND (WITH UNHCR) SCHOOLING FACILITIES WHICH WE HOPE WILL IMPROVE CONDITIONS.
5. ALL THIS WAS EXPLAINED TO ADAMS, WHO SAID THAT THESE POINTS WERE WELL UNDERSTOOD IN HONG KONG BUT LESS WELL APPRECIATED IN WASHINGTON. HE EXPLAINED INFORMALLY THAT THE ORIGINAL APPROACH FROM WASHINGTON WAS LESS HELPFUL AND THAT THE CURRENT TEXT REFLECTED AMENDMENTS SUGGEST FROM HERE. ADAMS ADDED THAT THE INSPIRATION FOR THE US APPROACH PROBABLY CAME FROM THE UNHCR. THIS IS ALSO OUR READING.
6. ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE REFUGEE CAMP AT TUEN MUN SOME PROGRESS HAS BEEN MADE IN DISCUSSIONS WITH THE UNHCR. WE HAVE REACHED BROAD AGREEMENT ON DESIGN BUT THEY HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO BE SPECIFIC
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