нке 243 ја
Mr Hcrowell
W246
CONFIDENTIAL
FROM:
P KC Thomas
DATE:
CC:
pa. +
ורן
Cary of Submersi
to nenny moty
liti
South East Asian Department
31 July 1989
PS/Lord Brabazon
PS/Mr Maud
Mr Gillmore/Mr Colvin (by
confidential fax to Paris)
Mr McLaren o/r
Mr Paul, HKD
Mr Brenton, UND
Mr Burns, News Dept
Mr Cooper, Planners
Mr Hendry, Legal Advisers
Mr Davies, EAD, ODA
&
218
PS
VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE (VBP): REPATRIATION
A
1. The Secretary of State has asked for a brief on the current
state of our negotations with the Vietnamese Government on the
repatriation of boat people from Hong Kong (Paris telno 1013).
2. During their intervention at the International Conference on
IndoChinese Refugees (ICIR) in June and at the first meeting of the
post-Conference Steering Committee, the Vietnamese made a firm
commitment to help resolve the boat people problem although they remained opposed to "forcible" repatriation. They also offered bilateral talks with first asylum countries.
His
3. At his meetings with Sir Geoffrey Howe and Lord Glenarthur in
the margins of the ICIR the Vietnamese Foreign Minister Nguyen Co
Thach, argued that the exodus of boat people also spelled
instability for Vietnam and needed to be dealt with urgently.
Government favoured repatriation provided no force was used.
agreed that we should start to return non-volunteers by beginning
with a small carefully selected group drawn from the grey area of
those unlikely actively to oppose being repatriated. Officials then
He
CONFIDENTIAL