1990-09-21 16:30 BRITISH TRADE COMMISSION
852 845 2870
STEVE STINE: FOR INSTANCE?
ARE
LORD CAITHNESS: FOR INSTANCE, THE WAY IN WHICH SOME PEOPLE BEING DEALT WITH, WHICH IS DIFFERENT FROM THE WAY THEY WOULD HAVE BEEN DEALT WITH BEFORE.
STEVE STINE: WHO ARE YOU REFERRING TO?
LORD CAITHNESS: I THINK YOU DON'T WANT TO DRAW ME ON THAT. T DON'T WANT TO BE ABSOLUTELY SPECIFIC AT THIS STAGE ON THAT.
PAUL HARRINGTON: LORD CAITHNESS, THERE IS A TEAM FROM BRITAIN AND FROM HONG KONG IN HANOI AT THE MOMENT TALKING WITH THE VIETNAMESE ABOUT THE BOAT PEOPLE PROBLEM. THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT SEEMS TO BE STUDIOUSLY AVOIDING THE TERM MANDATORY REPATRIATION AND THE UNHCR OFFICIAL SAID THAT THAT WASN'T ON THE AGENDA, BUT SURELY FROM THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT'S POINT OF VIEW AND FROM THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT'S POINT OF VIEW THERE WOULDN'T BE TOO MUCH POINT IN THAT MEETING UNLESS THE REASON WAS ΤΟ TRY TO GET AN AGREEMENT ON THE MANDATORY REPATRIATION OF THE VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE FROM HONG KONG. LIKE COMMENT UPON THAT?
WOULD YOU
LORD CAITHNESS: YES, THAT IS ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF WHERE BRITAIN HAS BEEN VERY MUCH TO THE FOREFRONT ON THE INTERNATIONAL SCENE TO TRY AND PROGRESS ISSUES ON BEHALF OF HONG KONG. THIS IS ONE EXAMPLE WHERE THORD ARD INDICATTONO THAT WE GAN VIAKE PROGRESS JN TALINAT IV DAFLUITE THE RETURN TO VIETNAM OF NON-REFUGEES. NOW, EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENS IN HANOI IN THE NEXT THREE OR SO DAYS I AM NOT GOING TO PREDICT. WHAT I HOPE IS THAT WE WILL GET A BETTER MODUS OPERENDI, A BETTER WAY OF OPERATING TO RETURN THE NON-REFUGEES TO VIETNAM THAN WE HAVE AT THE MOMENT.
WILL?
PAUL HARRINGTON: DOES THIS MEAN RETURNING THEM
AGAINST THEIR
LORD CAITHNESS: I AM NOT GOING TO SAY ANYTHING MORE BECAUSE THEY ARE IN DISCUSSIONS IN HONG KONG, SORRY IN HANOI AND OBVIOUSLY WE WANT THAT TO SUCCEED.
THE
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BERNARD FONG: LACK OF ABHORRENCE WITH CHINA'S RANDOM USE WITH DEATH PENALTY MAY BE REFLECTED IN MARGARET THATCHER'S STATEMENT MADE THIS MORNING, I BELIEVE, IN BUDAPEST. SHE ADVOCATED THE RETURN OF CAPITAL PUNISHMENT TO BRITISH LAW, THIS VERY MORNING.
LORD CAITHNESS: THAT HAS BEEN VOTED ON IN THE HOUSE OF COMMONS ON A NUMBER OF ISSUES. I THINK THE VIEWS ARE WELL SET OUT BY MEMBERS IN THE COMMONS.
KEVIN LAU: ON THE VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE'S SCREENING TEST HOW DO YOU COME TO THE CONCLUSION THAT THE TEST IS FAIR, AFTER HAVING PAID A BRIEF VISIT TO A DETENTION CENTRE AND HAVING SEEN JUST A FEW TESTING EXAMPLES?
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