CONFIDENTIAL
MKD 243/9
26
012206
MDLIAN D572
CONFIDENTIAL
FM PEKING
TO PRIORITY F C O
TELNO 76
OF 230519Z JANUARY 89
INFO PRIORITY HONG KONG
(18)-HKD243/"
For in
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YOUR TELNOS 42-43 AND MY TELNO 68.
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VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE AND ECVIIS IN HONG KONG.
TOP COPY Q DIST 7
1. AS FORESHADOWED IN MY T U R, I CALLED ON GUO FENGMIN ON 20 JANUARY. I DREW ON THE COMMENTS ATTRIBUTED TO LI HOU AND
ZHOU NAN IN PARAS 2-6 OF HONG KONG TELNO 200 AND MADE ALL THE POINTS IN PARA 9. IN DOING SO, I HANDED OVER THE TEXT IN HONG KONG TELNO 201 AND A COPY OF COLS. 834-836 OF HANSARD OF 11 JANUARY, DRAWING ATTENTION TO THE SECRETARY OF STATE'S STATEMENT THAT IT WAS OUR FIRM INTENTION TO ENSURE THAT THE PROBLEM OF VIETNAMESE REFUGEES AND BOAT PEOPLE SHOULD BE RESOLVED WELL BEFORE 1997. IN AMPLIFICATION PIGOTT STRESSED THAT WE DID NOT SEE 1997 AS BEING ESPECIALLY RELEVANT IN THE CONTEXT OF VIETNAMESE REFUGEES AND BOAT PEOPLE: WE WISHED TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE FOR ITS OWN SAKE.
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GUO THANKED ME FOR THESE REMARKS AND MADE THE FOLLOWING COMMENTS. IN THE CHINESE AUTHORITIES' VIEW, THE PRESS, IN HONG KONG AS ELSEWHERE, COULD BE UNRELIABLE AND TENDED NOT ALWAYS TO REFLECT EXACTLY WHAT HAD BEEN SAID TO THEM.
AS REGARDS THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT'S LIBERALISATION PLAN AND THE SEIZURE AND EXPULSION OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS FROM THE MAINLAND, WE HAD TO BEAR IN MIND THAT HONG KONG WAS A UNIQUE PLACE. MEASURES ADOPTED BY THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT CONCERNING REFUGEE CAMPS SHOULD THEREFORE TAKE INTO ACCOUNT ALL THE RELEVANT FACTORS. GUO THEN RECALLED THE DEMARCHE MADE TO HIM ON 18 NOVEMBER LAST YEAR BY MISS BAILES (PEKING TELNO 1885) IN
WHICH SHE HAD REFERRED TO CHILDREN OF A SMALL NUMBER OF REFUGEES WITH RIGHT OF ABODE IN HONG KONG. THE CHINESE SIDE WERE STILL CONSIDERING OUR POINTS AND WOULD US LET HAVE THEIR VIEWS SHORTLY. GUO INDICATED THAT THE CHINESE SIDE'S VIEW DIFFERED FROM OUR OWN ON THIS ISSUE AND SAID THAT HE THOUGHT THERE SHOULD BE FURTHER
DISCUSSION. HE THEN EXPRESSED PARTICULAR THANKS FOR THE HANSARD EXTRACT. THE BRITISH AND CHINESE GOVERNMENTS CLEARLY HAD THE SAME GOAL: VIETNAMESE ''REFUGEES'' SHOULD BE SENT BACK TO
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CONFIDENTIAL