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TELNO 212
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INFO PRIORITY HONG KONG, UKMIS GENEVA, HANOI, KUALA LUMPUR, INFO PRIORITY JAKARTA, BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, MANILA
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YOUR TELNO: 860: VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE IN HONG KONG
1. I CALLED ON THE PERMANENT SECRETARY AT THE MFA (CHAN JER HING) THIS AFTERNOON AND BRIEFED HIM AS INSTRUCTED.
I HANDED OVER A COPY OF MY SPEAKING NOTE WHICH COVERED
POINTS (A) TO (G) IN PARAGRAPH 6 OF T.U.R.
2. CHAN EXPRESSED SYMPAHTY WITH HONG KONG AND THE SERIOUS PROBLEM IT FACES. SINGAPORE (WHICH DOES NOT SUBSCRIBE TO THE POLICY OF FIRST ASYLUM) COULD WELL APPRECIATE THE DIFFICULTY. SINGAPORE RECOGNISED THE IMPORTANCE OF THE ICIR IN JUNE AND WOULD PROBABLY BE REPRESENTED BY THE MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS, WONG KANG SENG. CHAN DID NOT COMMENT ON WHAT SINGAPORE COULD DO TO HELP TO BRING ABOUT A RESOLUTION OF THE QUESTION AT ICIR BUT AGREED THAT A REGIONAL HOLDING CENTRE
ADMINISTERED BY THE UNHCR MIGHT BE A SHORT TERM SOLUTION.
3. CHAN WILL CONTACT ME IF SINGAPORE HAS ANY SUBSTANTIVE COMMENT TO MAKE OR SEEKS FURTHER INFORMATION IN THE RUN-UP TO
THE JUNE CONFERENCE.
CURRAN
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.VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE IN HK
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