CONFIDENTIAL
FROM: C D Crabbie
HKB 243/a
Mr Haswell, HKD
RMD
DATE: 20 October 1989
cc PS/Mr Maude
PS/Lord Brabazon
Mr Gillmore
Mr McLaren
Mr Blatherwick
Mr Paul, HKD
Mr Colvin, SEAD
Mr Brenton, UND Mr Griffiths,
Finance Dept
VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE: REPATRIATION
1. Thank you for copying to me your minute of 19 October. I find your proposal an attractive one. Diverting the £5 million from the Regional Processing Centre (which I always thought would not come into being) to a transit facility in Vietnam has many attractions. Furthermore, if such facilities could be designed to be useful to the Vietnamese after (hopefully) the returnees' problem has been dealt with, it might eliminate (or reduce) the need for the prospective aid programme. And if it did replace the proposed aid programme for Vietnam, it would leave a much clearer audit trail.
PS.
We should, ģ
we Really do
course.
C19ABF
way
itall Galbie
C D Crabbie
keep
HMT informed
plan to switch
suggest.
Resources
330
CONFIDENTIAL
Miss Mayssen
Rn 20/50
Mr Shone
23/10
27