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124016 MDHOAN 5892
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FM FCO
TO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG
TELNO 657
OF 26173OZ MARCH 90
AND TO IMMEDIATE PEKING, LISBON
INFO IMMEDIATE UKMIS GENEVA, HANOI
@
MKB
243129
1990
YOUR TELNO 991 (NOT TO ALL): VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE: MACAU
1. WE AGREE THAT IT WOULD BE USEFUL IF YOU COULD BRIEF VIEIRA DE MELLO ON THE MACAU ASPECT, AS RECOMMENDED IN UKMIS GENEVA TELNO 227 TO FCO. YOU MIGHT LIKE TO SUGGEST TO HIM THAT A JOINT MACAU/PORTUGAL DELEGATION BE INVITED TO THE PROPOSED APRIL/MAY REGIONAL MEETING, WHICH, SUBJECT TO YOUR AGREEMENT, WE SHOULD LIKE TO SEE HELD IN HONG KONG
2.
THERE IS ANOTHER ANGLE TO THIS, ON WHICH WE SHOULD BE GRATEFUL FOR YOUR, LISBON AND PEKING'S COMMENTS. TUR REPORTED THAT OVER 50 PER CENT OF NEW ARRIVALS IN HONG KONG THIS YEAR HAVE COME VIA MACAU IN TOTAL OVER 300 PEOPLE. ON DEPARTURE FROM MACAU THEY MUST PASS THROUGH CHINESE WATERS BEFORE REACHING HONG KONG. WOULD THE PORTUGUESE OR THE MACAO AUTHORITIES BE WILLING, AND WELL ENOUGH ORGANISED TO PASS INFORMATION ABOUT BOAT DEPARTURES FROM MACAO TO THE CHINESE, WITH A REQUEST THAT THEY ACT SWIFTLY TO INTERCEPT THEM AND RETURN THE OCCUPANTS ACROSS THE LAND BORDER QUERY. AND WOULD THE CHINESE BE PREPARED TO COOPERATE QUERY. WE WOULD SEE CONSIDERABLE ADVANTAGE TO HONG KONG IN SUCH AN ARRANGEMENT, BOTH IN TERMS OF PREVENTING NEW ARRIVALS, BUT ALSO IN THE CHINESE BEING SEEN TO GIVE DIRECT SUPPORT TO HONG KONG OVER AN ISSUE THAT IS CAUSING MAJOR DIFFICULTIES AND HAS A HIGH PUBLIC PROFILE. THE DETERRENT VALUE
WOULD BE CONSIDERABLE.
3. CHINESE COOPERATION OF THIS KIND WOULD OF COURSE BE VALUABLE WHETHER OR NOT BOATS HAD PUT IN TO MACAO. BUT IT IS ONLY IN THE LATTER CASE THAT ANYONE OTHER THAN CHINESE COASTAL AUTHORITIES WOULD BE IN A POSITION TO PASS IN ACCURATE INFORMATION.
HURD
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