tani saa sen vakkia tan a ta das King. My
SECRET
HKB 243 / 13
62
112565
MDHIAN 0450
RECEIVED!*
OC JUN 1990
SECRET
FM HONG KONG
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
TELNO 1576
OF 11113OZ MAY 90
INFO IMMEDIATE PEKING, HANOI, WASHINGTON, UKMIS GENEVA, CANBERRA INFO IMMEDIATE UKREP JLG HONG KONG
PERSONAL FOR BURNS, AUSS FROM GOVERNOR
1
(51)
YRTELNO 949, PEKING TELNO 732 AND WASHINGTON TELNO 1106: VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE: MANDATORY REPATRIATION
6
·
1 I AGREE THAT IT IS WORTH PUTTING THIS PROPOSAL TO THE CHINESE ALTHOUGH I SHARE PEKING'S VIEW ABOUT THE LIKELY OUTCOME. AT THE VERY LEAST WE GAIN THE TACTICAL ADVANTAGE OF TESTING THE LIMITS OF CHINESE WILLINGNESS TO PROVIDE PRACTICAL ASSISTANCE. ZHOU NAN'S RECENT PUBLIC COMMENTS ON VBP POLICY WERE INTERESTING IN THAT HE FOCUSED ON MANDATORY REPATRIATION RATHER THAN FIRST ASYLUM. THIS CHANGE OF EMPHASIS MAY NOT INDICATE A CHANGE IN CHINESE THINKING, BUT IT DOES AT LEAST PROVIDE US WITH A CONVENIENT PEG ON WHICH TO HANG OUR REPATRIATION PROPOSAL.
2. MUCH THE BEST ARRANGEMENT FROM OUR POINT OF VIEW WOULD BE TO HAND OVER THOSE TO BE RETURNED AT MAN KAM TO. HOWEVER, THE CHINESE MIGHT WELL HAVE PROBLEMS IN TRANSPORTING LARGE NUMBERS OF VBP ACROSS SOUTH CHINA TO THE VIETNAMESE BORDER, EVEN IF WE OFFERED TO MEET THE COST. IT THIS IS SO, WE COULD OFFER TO TRANSPORT THE VBP BY SEA TO HEIHAI AS WE DID 7,000 ECVIIS IN 1987. THIS WOULD REDUCE THE LAND TRANSPORT COSTS AND LOGISTICS OF THE JOURNEY FOR THE CHINESE.
3. SO FAR AS WE KNOW, THERE IS NO FORMAL AGREEMENT BETWEEN VIETNAM AND CHINA FOR THE RETURN OF 'BOAT PEOPLE' APPREHENDED IN CHINA EN ROUTE TO HONG KONG. IT SEEMS THAT THEY ARE SIMPLY TAKEN TO ONE OF THE BORDER TOWNS AND TOLD TO CROSS BACK INTO VIETNAM TOGETHER WITH THE REGULAR DAILY BORDER CROSSERS. VIETNAM SEEMS TO BE PREPARED TO ACCEPT SUCH PEOPLE WITHOUT A FORMAL AGREEMENT, BUT THEY MIGHT WELL FELL DIFFERENTLY ABOUT VBP RETURNING FROM HONG KONG. IF WE GET A POSITIVE RESPONSE FROM THE CHINESE WE SHALL HAVE TO THINK ABOUT WHAT WE MIGHT NEED SAY TO THE VIETNAMESE. SIMPLY INSINUATING A FEW VBP FROM HONG KONG INTO THE PRESENT RETURN FLOW IS PROBABLY NOT A
PAGE
SECRET
1