CONFIDENTIAL
W/14/20 лял REA N 14/10
PA
110
Cr 13/0
MKD 243/15
From:
RJT McLaren
Date:
Cc:
13 October 1988
PS/Lord Glenarthur
PS/Mr Patten
PS/Mr Eggar
PS/PUS
Mr Gillmore
Mr Slater
Mr Hum, HKD
Mr Colvin, SEAD
Mr Burns, News Dept
Mr Williams,
UND
Mr Machin, Disaster Unit, ODA
Private Secretary
VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE IN HONG KONG : TALKS WITH THE VIETNAMESE
1. The talks with the Vietnamese on 11 and 12 October made as I attach a much progress as we could have reasonably expected. copy of the joint press statement issued yesterday evening.
2. The key paragraph is the third one. The Vietnamese accepted a reference to the need for "comprehensive arrangements for boat people arriving in Hong Kong after the change of policy who do not qualify for resettlement in other countries" (ie, those who are screened out). This meets the political requirement in Hong Kong that the talks should be seen to encompass all post-15 June arrivals who are not refugees. It does not of course mean that the Vietnamese are committed to the idea of forced repatriations, or are even ready to contemplate them. Indeed, they made it clear that they were only willing to take back volunteers. But they accepted that there is a problem and that it will have to be dealt with step by step.
3. The Vietnamese told us that they were ready to take back the first batch of volunteer returnees quickly. They agreed that the end of the year was a realistic target and thought it should be possible to get some people back well before that. They were frank about the practical difficulties they face, including the reluctance of communities to take back people who had left illegally, the lack of facilities, and the general poverty of the country. They laid stress on the need for the preparatory work to be done well if the returnees were to be successfully repatriated. In that connection, they asked for visits by Vietnamese officials to Hong Kong to talk to the volunteers about where they wanted to go, to assure them of good treatment on return, and to issue ID documents. They accepted that such visits could cause problems for Hong Kong unless properly handled, and assured us that the officials would not want to visit the camps. On that basis, I have recommended to the Governor that he should agree to a visit within carefully defined limits.
14.