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1988
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INFO ROUTINE BANGKOK, BANDAR SERI BAGAWAN, JAKARTA, KUALA LUMPUR INFO ROUTINE MANILA AND SINGAPORE
VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE: VISIT OF MALAYSIAN DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER
TO VIETNAM
1. YOU WILL NO DOUBT BE EXPECTING SOME NEWS OF THE DISCUSSIONS
ON BOAT PEOPLE HELD DURING THIS VISIT FROM 26-29 AUGUST. THE MALAYSIANS ARE SO FAR PROVING TOTALLY ELUSIVE ALTHOUGH I AM
SEEING THE MFA THIS AFTERNOON. IN THE MEANTIME YOU MIGHT FIND A SUMMARY OF THE (RATHER LONG) COMMUNIQUE USEFUL.
2. ACCORDING TO THE COMMUNIQUE THE DISCUSSIONS DURING THE VISIT
CENTRED ON THE PROBLEMS CAUSED BY BOAT PEOPLE AND BOTH SIDES AGREED THAT ''REALISTIC AND EFFECTIVE MEASURES ARE URGENTLY
REQUIRED TO RESOLVE THESE PROBLEMS IN A HUMANITARIAN MANNER''
MALAYSIA INFORMED VIETNAM OF THE CLOSURE OF PULAU BIDONG AND THAT IN FUTURE NEW ARRIVALS WILL BE DEALT WITH IN ACCORDANCE WITH MALAYSIAN LAWS AND INTERNATIONAL LAWS AND PRACTICES. VIETNAM INFORMED MALAYSIA OF ITS DECISION TO TAKE EFFECTIVE MEASURES TO STOP THE OUTFLOW AND IN THIS CONTEXT MALAYSIA WELCOMED VIETNAM'S DECISION TO ''EXPAND AND EXPEDITE THE ODP. BOTH SIDES
CALLED ON RESETTLEMENT COUNTRIES TO INCREASE THEIR ACCEPTANCE RATE.
3.
VIETNAM 'AGREED TO RECEIVE THE REPATRIATION OF EXISTING BOAT PEOPLE FROM MALAYSIA WHO WISH TO RETURN TO THEIR HOMELAND'
VIETNAM WILL SOON SEND A TEAM OF OFFICIALS TO MALAYSIA TO DISCUSS
MODALITIES. FOR ITS PART MALAYSIA IS 'PREPARED TO CONSIDER EXTENDING SOME KIND OF ASSISTANCE WITHIN HER LIMITED MEANS'' BOTH SIDES CALLED FOR CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY.
·
4. MALAYSIA BRIEFED VIETNAM ON THE ASEAN INITIATIVE FOR
AN INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON INDOCHINESE REFUGEES TO BE HELD NEXT YEAR AND ON THE PREPARATORY CONFERENCE TO BE HELD IN KUALA LUMPUR LATER THIS YEAR. VIETNAM ''CONFIDENT IN THE COOPERATIVE ENDEAVOURS OF ALL PARTIES CONCERNED AGREED TO PARTIC-
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