CONFIDENTIAL
057275
MDHIAN 4194
AMENT AND FROM THE PRESS. NGO PROMISED TO BE IN TOUCH.
C. WE WOULD EXPECT TO BE ABLE TO LET HIS DEPARTMENT HAVE MUCH MORE
IN THE WAY OF DETAIL ABOUT THE ORGANISERS OF DEPARTURES IN THE NEAR FUTURE: I AGREED WITH HIM THAT THIS WAS A PRIORITY.
D. IN RESPONSE TO HIS SUGGESTION THAT THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT TURN BOAT PEOPLE AWAY I EXPLAINED OUR POSITION ON FIRST ASYLUM. NGO LOOKED MILDLY INCREDULOUS AND SAID THAT TURNING BOAT PEOPLE
AWAY WOULD BE THE MOST EFFECTIVE WAY OF UNDERLINING HONG KONG'S REFUSAL TO ACCEPT BOAT PEOPLE.
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E. AS FOR PUBLICISING THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT'S POLICY I THOUGH
THAT WE HAD DONE THIS VERY EFFECTIVELY E.G. BY BROADCASING IN
VIETNAMESE (SEE BELOW).
F. WHEN I ASKED WHETHER VIETNAM HAD RAISED THE QUESTION OF BOAT PEOPLE AND OTHER TRANSITERS WITH THE CHINSES, NGO SAID THAT THEY HAD NOT: THEY HAD MUCH BIGGER PROBLEMS TO DISCUSS WITH THE CHINESE.
I MADE THE OBVIOUS REJOINDER.
5. BEING PUZZLED BY THE REFERENCE TO PUBLICITY FOR THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT'S POLICY I PURSUED THIS. NGO SAID THAT PUBLICITY BY RADIO WAS ALL VERY WELL BUT THERE HAD BEEN NO OFFICIAL DOCUMENT
DESCRIBING THE POLICY WITH OFFICIAL STAMPS AND SIGNATURES. THIS
BIZARRE POINT REMINDED ME OF A VERY SIMILAR POINT MADE BY VU
KHOAN LAST AUTUMN TIME PROPOSING THAT DESPITE THE AGREEMENT REACHED IN LONDON ON REPATRIATION THERE WAS NEED OF AN OFFICIAL SIGNED
BILATERAL AGREEMENT. I ASKED IF THE VIETNAMESE GOVERNMENT WOULD
PUBLICISE IT ON TV, RADIO AND IN THE NEWSPAPERS IF I GAVE THEM AN OFFICIAL LOOKING PIECE OF PAPER WITH A DESCRIPTION OF THE POLICY.
HE SAID THAT THEY WOULD I CANNOT HOPE TO EXPLAIN THE RATIONALE
FOR THIS BUT PROPOSE TO PROVIDE A PIECE OF PAPER AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
6. I RAISED THE QUESTION OF REPATRIATION SINCE NGO HAD DELICATELY SKIRTED ROUND IT. HE WAS AMBIUOUS IN RESPONSE CLAIMING THAT IT WAS VIETNAMESE GOVERNMENT POLICY, AS A MATTER OF PRINCIPLE, TO ACCEPT BACK VOLUNTEERS. THIS WAS A MATTER OF INTERNATIONAL LAW. I PUT HIM STRAIGHT ON INTERNATIONAL LAW AND SOUGHT CLARIFICATION BY POSING TWO HYPOTHETICAL QUESTIONS. I FIRST ASKED WHAT HIS RESPONSE WOULD BE IF WE PUT 6,000 ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS CURRENTLY IN HONG KONG ON A SHIP AND SENT THEM BACK TL HAI PHONG. HE SAID INTERESTINGLY
ENOUGH THAT IT WOULD BE VERY DIFFICULT TO TAKE THEM IN ONE GO AND
THAT IT WAS UNDER CONSIDERATION WHAT TO DO. DESPITE MY QUESTIONING