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SECRET
ZCZC
SECRET
FM FCO
TO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG
TELNO
OF 21153OZ DECEMBER 89
AND TO IMMEDIATE HANOI
INFO IMMEDIATE WASHINGTON, UKMIS GENEVA
FROM SEAD
INMEDIATE
YOUR TELNO 4196 AND HANOI TELNO 715: VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE:
REPATRIATION.
1.
Ministers are well aware of the need to press ahead with
further repatriation flights as soon as possible and to ensure
that the repatration programme does not stall. But in practice
we need to reach agreement with the Vietnamese on the
continuation of the repatriation programme. We are grateful for Hanoi's efforts so far to pin the Vietnamese down on this: but in
view of Vietnamese procrastination, it might be difficult to
prepare the ground adequately for a resumption of flights as
early in the New Year as you suggest. Ministers have decided
therefore that there should be no further flights until after the
imagi
Ennals/Raison visit to Vietnam and the meeting of SC3 (2) ₤18/19 January).
2. You should nevertheless proceed with clearance of the names
of the next groups SO that repatriation flights can be resumed as
soon after SC3 (2) as possible.
3. Grateful if you would draw up a new programme of dates
REDA AT
HKD
C C D Haswell
270 2652