CONFIDENTIAL
MKD 243/8
SEP 1988
733
037175
MDHOAN 3572
CONFIDENTIAL
FM FCO
TO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG
TELNO 2243
OF 02170OZ SEPTEMBER 88
OMU...
TO:
INFO IMMEDIATE HANOI, UKMIS GENEVA, PEKING, WASHINGTON, BANGKOK INFO PRIORITY KUALA LUMPUR, TOKYO, OTTAWA, CANBERRA
0718
HKD 243/3
76
YOUR TELNO 3192 AND HANOI TELNO 301: VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE IN
HONG KONG
1. FIRST TUR: WE ARE NOT FULLY CONVINCED THAT HOLDING OUT
FURTHER ON A VISIT BY VIETNAMESE OFFICIALS WILL BE OF ANY BENEFIT.
IF SUCH A VISIT WERE TO LEAD TO EARLY VOLUNTARY
REPATRIATION THAT WOULD BE A TANGIBLE ADVANCE. IT ALSO APPEARS CHANOI TELNO 298) THAT THE MALAYSIANS HAVE AGREED TO SUCH A VISIT AND THERE IS SOME RISK OF OUR FALLING BEHIND OTHERS ON
THIS. WE HOPE THAT YOU WOULD BE ABLE TO RECONSIDER THIS IF IT
BECAME CLEAR THAT THIS WAS THE REMAINING STUMBLING BLOCK PREVENTING EARLY ACTION ON AN INITIAL BATCH OF RETURNEES.
2.
·
WE SUGGEST THAT WE NOW (NOW) AWAIT HMA HANOI'S RETURN ON 7 SEPTEMBER BEFORE MAKING ANY FURTHER APPROACH TO THE
VIETNAMESE ON THIS. HIS RECENT RETURN FROM LONDON WILL ENABLE
HIM TO GIVE ADDED FORCE TO ANY REPRESENTATIONS WE THEN MAKE. BY THEN WE MAY ALSO HAVE MINISTERS' VIEWS ON THE QUESTION OF REINTEGRATION ASSISTANCE FOR RETURNEES, AND MAY BE ABLE TO SUGGEST DATES FOR THE NEXT ROUND.
3
SECOND TUR: WE NOTED WITH INTEREST THE APPARENT VIETNAMESE WILLINGNESS TO RECEIVE DETAILS OF THE 103 VOLUNTARY RETURNEES. ARE THERE ANY SIGNS THAT UNHCR WILL BE ABLE TO PROCESS ALL THESE CASES QUICKLY? ON FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FOR VOLUNTARY RETURNEES OUR VIEW REMAINS AS SET OUT IN OUR TELNO 2144 PARA 7.
HOWE
YYYY