CONFIDENTIAL
HKB
243 ja
393
032624 MDLOAN 7640
CONFIDENTIAL
FM FCO
TO ROUTINE HANOI
TELNO 392
OF 23160OZ NOVEMBER 89
COPY
INFO ROUTINE HONG KONG, UKMIS GENEVA, WASHINGTON, KUALA LUMPUR INFO ROUTINE BANGKOK
FROM COLVIN
(388
(SEAD)
YOUR TELNO 623 (NOT TO ALL): VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE:
BILATERAL V MULTILATERAL
1 WE DO OUR BEST TO KEEP YOU FULLY ABREAST OF DEVELOPMENTS RELATING TO SC3. BUT I FEAR THAT LE THO IS BEING DISINGENUOUS. 2 IT HAS BECOME INCREASINGLY APPARENT IN THE STEERING COMMITTEE THAT THERE IS A FUNDAMENTAL DISAGREEMENT BETWEEN THAILAND AND
VIETNAM OVER THE BASIS ON WHICH THE SCREENED-OUT SHOULD RETURN. THE THAIS ARE CLEARLY DETERMINED THAT THE VIETNAMESE SHOULD IN DUE COURSE ACCEPT THEIR RETURN ON A MULTILATERAL BASIS UNDER THE CPA, WITH UNHCR MONITORING AND PAYING REINTEGRATION ASSISTANCE. THE VIETNAMESE ARE EQUALLY DETERMINED THAT ARRANGEMENTS SHOULD BE ON A BILATERAL BASIS WHICH OFFERS MAXIMUM SCOPE FOR PLAYING ONE COUNTRY OFF AGAINST ANOTHER AND FOR SECURING THE HIGHEST PRICE FOR THEIR COOPERATION. THE BEST ALLIES OF THE VIETNAMESE IN ALL THIS ARE, OF COURSE, THE AMERICANS WHOSE IMPLACABLE OPPOSITION TO ANYTHING OTHER THAN VOLUNTARY REPATRIATION LETS THE VIETNAMESE
OFF THE HOOK AND GIVES THEM A FREE RIDE.
3 OUR VIEW IS THAT WE MUST GO ON PRESSING FOR A COMPREHENSIVE SOLUTION UNDER WHICH ALL ASPECTS OF THE BOAT PEOPLE QUESTION ARE DEALT WITH MULTILATERALLY UNDER THE CPA. THE STEERING COMMITTEE WAS MANDATED BY THE ICIR ITSELF TO EXAMINE
'ALTERNATIVES RECOGNISED AS BEING ACCEPTABLE UNDER INTERNATIONAL PRACTICES' (PARA 14) FOR RETURNING THE SCREENED OUT TO THE COUNTRY OF ORIGIN (PARA 12). VIETNAM COMMITTED ITSELF TO A MULTILATERAL SOLUTION OF THIS KIND WHEN IT ENDORSED THE CPA. HOWEVER, PENDING MULTILATERAL AGREEMENT, WE HAD NO ALTERNATIVE BUT TO ACCEPT THAT ANY PROGRESS IN RETURNING THE SCREENED-OUT WOULD BE ON A
BILATERAL BASIS OR NOT AT ALL. HENCE THE 26 JUNE AGREEMENT. THERE IS THEREFORE NO CONFLICT BETWEEN OUR PRIVATE PREPAREDNESS TO MAKE PROGRESS BILATERALLY AND .OUR PUBLIC ESPOUSAL OF THE FULL, BALANCED AND MULTILATERAL IMPLEMENTATION OF THE CPA (WHAT LE
THO NO DOUBT MEANS BY A 'MAXIMALIST' POSITION).
4 IT WOULD BE INTERESTING TO KNOW WHETHER THE THAIS WILL BE PREPARED TO PLAY THE BILATERAL GAME, PENDING MULTILATERAL
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