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FM OTTAWA
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TELNO 712
OF 111405Z
OCTOBER 88
HKD 243/15 (89)
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MDLIAN 4443
TOP COPY
INFO ROUTINE BANGKOK, HONG KONG, HANOI, KUALA LUMPUR, JAKARTA INFO ROUTINE SINGAPORE, PEKING, WASHINGTON, CANBERRA, TOKYO, INFO ROUTINE UKMIS GENEVA
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YOUR TELNO 454 TO BANGKOK: VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE:
SECOND ROUND OF TALKS
1.
ACTION TAKEN ON 7 OCTOBER WITH DEA (ERNEST ALLEN AND TOM RYAN, DIRECTOR AND DESK OFFICER, ASIA AND PACIFIC PROGRAMS). THEY WARMLY WELCOMED THE MOU BETWEEN HONG KONG AND UNHCR (HONG KONG TELNO 3550). THEY ASKED ABOUT REINTERGRATION ASSISTANCE (PARA 2(C) OF TUR) AND WONDERED HOW THIS TERM WOULD BE INTERPRETED BY OURSELVES AND THE VIETNAMESE RESPECTIVELY, AND ALSO WHO WOULD PAY FOR THE EVENTUAL REPATRIATION OF RETURNEES TO VIETNAM.
2. MORE GENERALLY THEY SAID THAT THEY WERE FOLLOWING EVENTS CLOSELY
AND HOPED IT WOULD BE POSSIBLE TO HOLD TO THE PROGRAMME OF
MEETINGS OUTLINED IN BANGKOK TELNO 638. HOWEVER,
THEY FORESAW CONSIDERABLE SLIPPAGE, WITH THE LIKELIHOOD THAT THE US WOULD WANT AN ADDITIONAL INFORMAL MEETING AHEAD OF THE KUALA LUMPUR PREPARATORY CONFERENCE ENVISAGED FOR FEBRUARY 1989, AND THEY THOUGHT THAT THE MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE COULD BE DELAYED BY AS MUCH AS A YEAR, MAINLY ON ACCOUNT OF THE NEED FOR THE NEW US ADMINISTRATION (OF WHICHEVER PARTY) TO GET ITS
POLICY TOGETHER.
URWICK
YYYY
ΜΑΙΝ
97
DISTRIBUTION
101
.VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE IN HK
LIMITED
HKD
SEAD
NEWS
PS
PS/LORD GLENARTHUR
PS MR EGGAR
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