CONFIDENTIAL
CONFIDENTIAL
FM FCO
TO DESKBY 12010OZ HONG KONG
TELNO 2655
OF 11162OZ OCTOBER 88
INFO IMMEDIATE HANOI, UKMIS GENEVA
INFO ROUTINE BANGKOK, KUALA LUMPUR, SINGAPORE
MKD 243/15 (84
TEC
COPY DIOT ?
007507
MDHOAN 6407
FROM MCLAREN
MY SECOND IPT: VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE IN HONG KONG: SECOND ROUND OF
TALKS WITH VIETNAM
DAY ONE: TEXT OF DRAFT COMMUNIQUE
OUR PROPOSED REVISED DRAFT PRESS STATEMENT
REPRESENTATIVES OF THE BRITISH AND HONG KONG GOVERNMENTS AND OF
THE GOVERNMENT OF THE SOCIALIST REPUBLIC OF VIETNAM MET IN LONDON ON 11 AND 12 OCTOBER 1988 FOR THE SECOND ROUND OF TALKS ON SOLUTIONS TO THE PROBLEMS CREATED BY THE NUMBER OF VIETNAMESE
BOAT PEOPLE TRYING TO ENTER HONG KONG SINCE THE INTRODUCTION OF THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT'S NEW POLICY ON 16 JUNE 1988. THE DISCUSSIONS TOOK PLACE IN A FRIENDLY AND CONSTRUCTIVE ATMOSPHERE.
THE TWO SIDES REVIEWED PROGRESS IN IMPLEMENTING THE AGREEMENT
REACHED AT THE FIRST ROUND OF TALKS IN HANOI ON 3 AND 4 AUGUST THAT REALISTIC AND EFFECTIVE MEASURES TO BRING THE OUTFLOW OF BOAT
PEOPLE FROM VIETNAM TO AN END WERE URGENTLY REQUIRED. THEY
AGREED THAT SOME PROGRESS HAD BEEN MADE IN STEMMING THE OUTFLOW
BUT THAT IT WAS ESSENTIAL TO PERSIST IN THESE EFFORTS AND, IF NECESSARY, TO REINFORCE THEM IN ORDER THAT THEY SHOULD BE FULLY EFFECTIVE. THE TWO SIDES RECOGNISED THE VALUE OF THE ORDERLY
DEPARTURE PROGRAMME AS THE MAIN CHANNEL FOR VIETNAMESE WHO WISH
TO LEAVE VIETNAM IN ORDER TO SETTLE IN OTHER COUNTRIES. THEY
CALLED ON OTHER COUNTRIES TO INCREASE THEIR EFFORTS TO ACCEPT
VIETNAMESE ELIGIBLE FOR RESETTLEMENT FROM HONG KONG.
THE TWO SIDES AGREED ON THE NEED FOR COMPREHENSIVE ARRANGEMENTS FOR VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE ARRIVING IN HONG KONG AFTER 15 JUNE 1988 AND WHO DO NOT QUALIFY FOR RESETTLEMENT IN OTHER COUNTRIES, BEGINNING WITH THE REPATRIATION OF THOSE WHO HAVE ALREADY APPLIED
TO RETURN. THE BRITISH SIDE HANDED OVER A LIST OF THOSE WHOSE DOCUMENTATION HAD BEEN PROCESSED BY UNHCR AND IT WAS AGREED TO MAKE
AN IMMEDIATE START BY RETURNING THEM TO VIETNAM.
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