CONFIDENTIAL
HKD 243/8!
821
101703
MDHIAN 3915
CONFIDENTIAL
FM HANOI
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
TELNO 323
OF 16050OZ SEPTEMBER
C88TM
? COPY a DIST?
OMS
INFO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG AND UKMIS GENEVA
810
YOUR TELNO ZTT: VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE IN HONG KONG
1
物
I CALLED ON MR TIN THIS MORNING AND PUT THE PROPOSAL FOR THE
NEXT ROUND. HE SAID HE WOULD HAVE TO SUBMIT THE MATTER BUT
PERSONALLY WAS UNAWARE OF ANY REASON WHY THE WEEK BEGINNING
10 OCTOBER WOULD BE UNACCEPTABLE. I CONFIRMED THAT MCLAREN WOULD LEAD.
2. I HANDED OVER THE LIST OF 14 VOLUNTARY REPATRIATES
(HK TELNO 3463). MR TIN EXPRESSED SURPRISE THAT THE LIST WAS SO
SHORT. I EXPLAINED THAT THESE WERE THE FIRST TO BE FULLY
PROCESSED. MR TIN SAID THAT HE WOULD PASS ON THE LIST TO THE
COMPETENT AUTHORITIES BUT GAVE THE IMPRESSION THAT THERE WOULD BE
NO DIFFICULTY. IN ANSWER TO MY QUESTION HE SAID THAT AS THE
NUMBER WAS SO SMALL THEY HAD PROBABLY BETTER BE REPATRIATED IN THE
SAME WAY AS PREVIOUS CASES IE. BY AIR VIA BANGKOK. HE MADE NO
MENTION OF FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE. NOR OF COURSE DID I. HE ALSO
WONDERED ALOUD WHETHER IN THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF THIS GROUP
THERE WOULD BE ANY POINT IN VIETNAMESE OFFICIALS GOING TO HONG
KONG. I SAID THAT THERE WAS ABSOLUTELY NO NEED: HE DID NOT DISAGREE.
3. IN DISCUSSING POINTS B, C AND D IN PARA 3 OF YOUR TELNO 2268 TO HONG KONG, MR TIN CLAIMED THAT SECURITY HAD BEEN TIGHTENED TO REDUCE THE FLOW OF ILLEGAL EMIGRANTS AND THAT THE WORD WAS
BEING PUT ABOUT THAT THERE WAS NO LONGER ANY POINT IN MAKING FOR
HONG KONG. HE DREW A CLEAR LINE BETWEEN VOLUNTARY AND FORCED
REPATRIATES. THE IDEA OF THE LATTER RAISED DIFFICULTIES. WITHOUT
MENTIONING FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE HE REFERRED TO MEANS NEEDING TO
BE FOUND TO RESOLVE THE DIFFICULTIES: I AGREED, ALSO WITHOUT MENTION- ING FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE.
4. I TOOK THE OPPORTUNITY TO INFORM HIM OF THE PROPOSED
RADIO BROADCASTS. HE THOUGHT THEY WERE A GOOD IDEA AND ASKED FOR FULL DETAILS, WHICH I
WHICH I SHALL SUPPLY. HE SEEMED TO REGRET THAT THE
BROADCASTS WOULD NOT BE PUT OUT BY THE BBC SINCE ITS SERVICES TO VIETNAM WERE WIDELY LISTENED I EXPLAINED THAT WE DID NOT HAVE CONTROL OVER THE BBC'S PROGRAMMING.
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CONFIDENTIAL