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TO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG
TELNO 779
OF 041715Z APRIL 89
INFO PRIORITY UKMIS GENEVA, TOKYO, HANOI, KUALA LUMPUR
VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE: JAPANESE ASSISTANCE
1. TOSHIO TSUNOZAKI, DIRECTOR OF THE HUMAN RIGHTS AND REFUGEE DIVISION IN THE JAPANESE MFA, CALLED ON THE HEAD OF SEAD ON 29 MARCH. HE MADE TWO SUGGESTIONS FOR AREAS OF TRAINING FOR BOAT PEOPLE WHERE JAPAN MIGHT BE WILLING TO ASSIST:
(A) ENGLISH LANGUAGE TRAINING AND PERHAPS VOCATIONAL TRAINING, FOR THOSE IN FIRST ASYLUM CAMPS AWAITING RESETTLEMENT, AND (B) TRAINING IN VIETNAM FOR REPATRIATES.
2. ON (A), TSUNOZAKI ADMITTED THAT THE JAPANESE WOULD NEED TO LOOK TO ENGLISH SPEAKING COUNTRIES FOR TECHNICAL EXPERTISE, AND IMPLIED ON THIS BASIS THEY WOULD BE PREPARED TO CONSIDER
FINANCING AN EXPANDED PROGRAMME IN HONG KONG. WE ARE SEEKING ODA VIEWS ON THIS IDEA, BUT IN THE MEANTIME, WOULD BE GRATEFUL FOR ANY SUGGESTION YOU MIGHT HAVE ON HOW BEST WE MIGTH PUT THE JAPANESE SUGGESTION TO GOOD USE, SHOULD IT BECOME A FORMAL OFFER. 3. ON (B), IT COULD WELL BE THAT A TRAINING CENTRE IN VIETNAM FOR RETURNEES WOULD HAVE A PLACE AS PART OF AN OVERALL REPATRIATION PACKAGE TO BE NEGOTIATED WITH THE VIETNAMESE. 4. PARA 5 OF KUALA LUMPUR TELNO 188 (NOT TO ALL) CITED ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF JAPANESE WILLINGNESS TO PROVIDE PRACTICAL MEASURES TO HELP SOLVE THE VBP PROBLEM. THEIR INITIATIVE IS WELCOME AND WE SHOULD CLEARLY SEEK TO TAKE FULL ADVANTAGE OF WHAT THEY ARE PREPARED TO OFFER.
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