UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
FM THE HAGUE
TO PRIORITY FCO
TELNO 429
HED 243/15
OF 20162OZ OCTOBER 88
7100 9.8
ons
TOP
043273
MULIAN 7340
INFO ROUTINE JAKARTA BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN EC POSTS WASHINGTON INFO ROUTINE WELLINGTON CANBERRA OTTAWA TOKYO HONG KONG HANOI
I NF O ROUTINE UKMIS GENEVA BANGKOK KUALA LUMPUR SINGAPORE PEKING
Y OUR TELNO 469 TO BANGKOK:
SUMMARY
VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE
1. THE DUTCH MAINTAIN A SYMPATHETIC HARD LINE. THEY WERE GRATEFUL
FOR THE BRIEFING AND HOPE WE WILL GIVE ANOTHER AFTER OUR
NEXT MEETING WITH THE VIETNAMESE.
DETAIL
2. ACTION TAKEN WITH DEN HOND (MFA REFUGEES BUREAU). HE WAS
GRATEFUL FOR THE STATEMENT AND THE BRIEFING. HE CONTINUES TO FAVOUR A TOUGH LINE. THERE SHOULD BE NO SPECIAL TREATMENT FOR THOSE
SCREENED OUT AND COMPULSION SHOULD NOT BE EXCLUDED.
3. ON POINT D OF PARA 1 OF TUR, DEN HOND QUERIED THE EXACT NATURE OF ASSISTANCE TO ''IMMEDIATE COMMUNITIES''. HE SAID HE HOPED
THAT IT WOULD BE NON-DEVELOPMENTAL. HE THOUGHT WE SHOULD AVOID PROVIDING THE VIETNAMESE WITH A LEVER TO APPLY FOR AID, AND GUARD AGAINST AN EXTENSION OF UNHCR ACTIVITIES INTO DEVELOPMENT. HE
ADDED THAT SO FAR THE VIETNAMESE SEEMED TO BE BEHAVE CORRECTLY, AND THAT THE UN COMMISSIONER, WHILE HE HAD SKILFULLY MANOEUVRED INTO THE CENTRE OF THINGS, WAS STICKING TO HIS MANDATE.
4. ON POINT E, DEN HOND WAS CONCERNED ABOUT THE HUMANC# RIGHTS DIMENSION. WE
SHOULD NOT BE SEEN TO BE ENCOURAGING THE VIETNAMESE
TO PREVENT CITIZENS FROM LEAVING THE COUNTRY. PUNISHING THE
ORGANISERS WAS THE RIGHT APPROACH.
5. DEN HOND COMMENTED THAT BILATERAL CONTACTS SEEMED TO BE WORKING
WELL, SETTING THE STAGE FOR A MULTILATERAL CONFERENCE NEXT YEAR. AN INTERNATIONAL DEAL WAS REQUIRED. HE WONDERED, HOWEVER, WHETHER THE VIETNAMESE WOULD STILL BE FORTHCOMING AT THE MEETING AT THE END
OF THIS MONTH AT WHICH THE DUTCH WILL NOT BE REPRESENTED. HE
WOULD WELCOME ANOTHER BRIEFING AFTER THAT MEETING.
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