SECRET
104620
HKB 243/13
MDHIAN 0120
17 BAY 9990
SECRET
FM PEKING
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
TELNO 732
OF 110735Z MAY 90
INFO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG, HANOI, WASHINGTON, MANILA, CANBERRA INFO IMMEDIATE UKMIS GENEVA, UKREP JLG HONG KONG
HONG KONG PERSONAL FOR GOVERNOR.
(56)
YOUR TELNO 949 TO HONG KONG.
VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE: MANDATORY REPATRIATION.
1 WE HAVE NOT RECEIVED HONG KONG TELNO 1461 BUT, IN ITS ABSENCE, HAVE THE FOLLOWING COMMENTS ON TUR.
2. IN GENERAL, WE THINK WE SHOULD NOT READ MORE INTO CHINA'S ASSURANCES OF SUPPORT OVER MANDATORY REPATRIATION THAN REALITY PERMITS. WHILE THE CHINESE HAVE A CLEAR INTEREST IN THE REMOVAL OF VBPS FROM HONG KONG, THEY VIEW THE PROBLEM AS ONE WHICH FALLS TO HMG AND HKG TO RESOLVE: CHEN SPOKE TO ME ON 4 MAY IN TERMS OF THE BRITISH SIDE ''SHOULDERING THEIR RESPONSIBILITY' (PARA 6 OF
MY TELNO 706). THE CHINESE HAVE GIVEN US NO REASON TO THINK THAT THEY WOULD BE WILLING TO COOPERATE IN A SCHEME ALONG THE LINES ENVISAGED IN TUR. BUT, THAT SAID, WE SEE NO REASON WHY WE SHOULD NOT PUT THE IDEA TO THEM: THE EXERCISE MIGHT WELL BE OF TACTICAL VALUE IN SMOKING THEM OUT ON THEIR PROFESSED DESIRE TO COOPERATE IN FINDING A SOLUTION TO THE VBP PROBLEM.
3.
MORE SPECIFICALLY ON THE POINTS COVERED IN T U R: WE IMAGINE THAT THE REMOVAL OF UNWILLING VBPS FROM HONG KONG TO CHINA IN THE FIRST INSTANCE COULD WELL INVOLVE THE USE OF FORCE. IF SO, WOULD VIETNAMESE OBJECTIONS AND THE REASONS FOR THEM REMAIN AS THEY CURRENTLY ARE ?
-
-
NOT
-
4 -
WHILE THE CHINESE WOULD BE UNCONCERNED OVER THE USE OF FORCE BY HMG/HKG IN REPATRIATING VBPS DIRECTLY TO VIETNAM AND OVER OUR COURTING CENSURE FROM THE US AND OTHERS AS A CONSEQUENCE THEY MAY WELL NOT WISH TO BECOME A PARTY TO IT THEMSELVES AT A TIME WHEN THEIR HUMAN RIGHTS BEHAVIOUR GENERALLY HAS ALREADY PROVOKED INTERNATIONAL MEASURES INIMICAL TO CHINESE INTERESTS (EC SANCTIONS, THREAT TO MFN STATUS IN THE US, ETC).
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