CONFIDENTIAL
нко 2439
064702
MDLIAN 1928
(65
CONFIDENTIAL
FM PEKING
TO PRIORITY FCO
TELNO 2007
OF 140815Z DECEMBER 88
INFO PRIOIRTY HONG KONG, UKMIS GENEVA
(62
TOP COPY Q DIST ?
164
HONG KONG TELNO'S 4536-4537 AND YOUR TELNO.1141
VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE IN HONG KONG:
ECVIIS.
1. MISS BAILES CALLED ON WANG JIANXING CHONG KONG AND MACAO AFFAIRS OFFICE, MFA) ON 14 DECEMBER. THE MFA HAD EXPLAINED, IN ARRANGING
THE CALL, THAT THEY HAD NO-ONE OF COUNSELLOR RANK WHO WAS INVOLVED IN THE QUESTION OF ECVIIS.
2. MISS BAILES SPOKE ALONG THE LINES OF FIRST TUR AS AMENDED BY THIRD TUR (WE SUBSITUTED ''HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS'' FOR ''WE'' IN LINE 8 OF PARA 7 OF THE SPEAKING NOTE AND ADDED A SHORT EXTRA PARAGRAPH TO THE EFFECT THAT THE PROBLEM HAD BEEN RAISED WITH NCNA IN HONG KONG ON 9 DECEMBER). MISS BAILES ALSO HANDED OVER A COPY OF THE TEXT OF THE 1987 UNDERSTANDING (SECOND TUR). INFORMALLY, SHE DREW ATTENTION TO THE REPORTS ON THIS ISSUE IN THE HONG KONG STANDARD AND SCMP OF 13 DECEMBER, REMARKING THAT THE COMMENTS ATTRIBUTED TO NCNA REPRESENTATIVES SEEMED HELPFUL AND SHOULD GIVE THE HONG KONG PUBLIC AN ENCOURAGING IMPRESSION OF SINO-BRITISH COOPERATION IN THE MATTER.
3. AFTER MAKING THE RITUAC POINT ABOUT REPORTING OUR DEMARCHE TO HIS RESPONSIBLE AUTHORITIES, WANG JIANXING SAID ON A PERSONAL BASIS THAT THE MFA WAS ALREADY AWARE OF THE LATEST ECVII PROBLEM AND FULLY SHARED OUR CONCERN. THE AUTHORITIES IN PEKING WERE ASSEMBLING INFORMATION AND WOULD BE PREPARED TO TAKE MEASURES VERY SWIFTLY. WITH THE COOPERATION OF THE HONG KONG AUTHORITIES HE WAS CONFIDENT THAT THEY COULD STEM THE FLOW ''ONE WAY OR THE OTHER'' AS EFFECTIVELY AS OR EVEN MORE EFFECITIVELY THAN LAST YEAR. THE KEY WAS TO GET SOME ECVIIS SENT BACK QUICKLY TO DISCOURAGE THE REST.
DONALD
YYYY
1
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