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GIVEN HAD BEEN FAR TOO INPRECISE IN PARTICULAR TO THE INDIAN COMMUNITY CON WHICH MR HOWELL QUESTIONED THE FIGURE OF 21,000 THAT HE HAD BEEN GIVEN AND ESTIMATED THAT ONLY 6,000 OR SO WERE WITHOUT PASSPORTS: THE SECRETARY OF STATE GOT THE IMPRESSION THAT MR HOWELL SAW THIS AS AN AREA FOR RECOMMENDATION). MR HOWELL BELIEVED THAT THE CHINESE WERE RELATIVELY RELAXED ON THIS COMPLEX
OF ISSUES.
CONSULATE-GENERAL
6. MR HOWELL LEFT NO DOUBT THAT THE COMMITTEE WOULD BE RECOMMENDING A VERY SUBSTANTIAL BUILDING, BUILT WITH A PRIVATE SECTOR CONTRIBUTION WITH A NUMBER OF FLOORS LEASED TO HMG. HE SPOKE OF SOMETHING OF COMPARABLE SIZE TO THE BANK OF CHINA BUILDING. MR HOWELL SAW THE NEED FOR A STRONG MANIFESTATION OF CONTINUED BRITISH INTEREST IN HONG KONG. HE THOUGHT THAT THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT AND THE CHINESE SHOULD BOTH RECOGNISE THAT THIS WAS IN THEIR INTEREST TOO. HE ALSO NOTED THAT HMG HAD BEEN UNWISE NOT TO ACQUIRE PROPERTY IN HONG KONG SOME YEARS AGO, THOUGH HE CONCEDED THAT THE WISDOM OF THIS JUDGEMENT OWED MUCH TO
HINDSIGHT.
VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE
7. MR HOWELL SAID THAT THE COMMITTEE WAS EXTREMELY CONCERNED ABOUT THE PROBLEM OF VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE. THEY HAD BEEN STRUCK BY THE RISK OF A FIRE IN THE CAMPS WITH APPALLING CONSEQUENCES. THE CHINESE HAD GIVEN THEM THE IMPRESSION OF NOT BEING ABLE OR WILLING TO SPEAK TO THE VIETNAMESE ABOUT THE PROBLEM UNTIL A SETTLEMENT HAD BEEN REACHED ON CAMBODIA. THEY HAD BEEN EVASIVE ON THE QUESTION OF COAST HOPPING. MR HOWELL THEN OBSERVED THAT IF THE CHINESE SIMPLY REVICTUALLED AND REFUELLED THE VIETNAMESE BOATS AND SEND THEM ON THEIR WAY, WHY DID HONG KONG NOT DO THE SAME.
HOWE
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