INDEPENDENT
13
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 1987
JOURNALIST): SORRY, I AM A BIT (MARGARET NG,
COULD YOU CONCERNED ABOUT THE BREAKDOWN OF INFORMATION AND ALL THAT.
FIRST APPROACH TO THE TELL US WHEN THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT MADE THE
SAID THERE HANOI GOVERNMENT ABOUT THESE VIETNAMESE REFUGEES WHEN YOU WAS AN OUTDATED PIECE OF INFORMATION, WHEN DID YOU START TO MAKE APPROACH?
'THAT
THING IS THAT
YEARS. I KNOW OF NO
A:
I CAN'T GIVE YOU AN ABSOLUTE DATE. THE IMPORTANT WE IN FACT MAINTAIN CONTACT AND HAVE DONE FOR DATE IN MIND.
..
AM
KONG MADE WITH
OF
APPROACH OUT-DATED PIECE THE DARK. THAT 19
(MARGARET NG): YES, PERHAPS I SHOUD MAKE MYSELF CLEAR WHY I
THE
WAS ASKED OF QUESTION BECAUSE
THE CONCERNED.
HONG ADMINISTRATION IN LEGCO ABOUT WHETHER AN APPROACH HAD BEEN THE HANOI GOVERNMENT AND WE WERE TOLD QUITE CLEARLY, 'NO, NO
MADE'.
IT SO
CAN EITHER
BE A HAS YET BEEN INFORMATION OR WE ARE BEING DELIBERATELY KEPT IN WHY I AM ASKING YOU THE DATE.
A:
BEING KEPT IN
THE DARK. I CAN'T YOU ARE NOT DELIBERATELY PROVIDE A SPECIFIC DATE BECAUSE WE HAVE BEEN MAINTAINING CONTACT THE VIETNAMESE AUTHORITIES ON A WHOLE RANGE OF ISSUES FOR A NUMBER YEARS, AND WE'VE BEEN DISCUSSING, AS I HAVE SAID, FOR SOME OTHER COUNTRIES AND PARTICULAR PROBLEM
WITH OF TIME WITH SOLUTIONS TO THIS OUR
WITH INTENSIFIED
CONTACTS ISSUE OF THEIR REFUGEES AND WE SOUGHT THEIR VIEWS WE HAVE DIRECTLY BY DOING SO
UNHCR, LONG-TERM WITH THE AND WE HAVE
THE VIETNAMESE AUTHORITIES ON THE HAVE DIRECTLY
ON THE WHOLE ISSUE, INCLUDING THE ISSUE OF REPATRIATION.
Q
+
(MARGARET NG): WELL, IF SO, COULD YOU EXPLAIN WHY WE WERE NO APPROACH HAD BEEN MADE?
TOLD
A:
WELL,
THE
SIMPLE
REASON IS - I UNBELIEVABLE THE
KNOW HAPPENS
IT
SOUNDS
++
I
THINK,
THE
PRESS
UNBELIEVABLE BUT SOMETIMES PRESUMABLY, WHAT HAPPENED WAS THAT SOMEBODY WAS RUNG UP IN OFFICE IN THE FOREIGN OFFICE IN LONDON, IN THE MIDDLE OF AND QUITE ACCIDENTALLY, AND I MAKE NO APOLOGY FOR IT. WELL,
HE GAVE A BIT OF DO APOLOGISE, WHAT ELSE ONE CAN SAY INFORMATION. WHY HE GAVE IT, I SIMPLY DON'T KNOW. DONE IT, IT WOULD MAKE MY LIFE A LOT EASIER IF HE
THE NIGHT.
1 REALLY OUT-OF-DATE I WISH HE HADN'T HADN'T.
OUT-OF-DATE IF YOU ANY ONE POINT, THE
BE POSSIBLY Q.
(MARGARET NG): BUT IT CAN'T HAVE BEEN MAKING CONTINUING CONTACT. I MEAN, AT ANSWER WOULD BE 'YES'. 1T CAN'T POSSIBLY BE 'NO'.
A:
..
WELL, CONTINUING CONTACTS MEANS EXACTLY WHAT IT SAYS.
QUESTION OF (MARGARET NG): 90 HOW CAN THE ANSWER BE 'NO' TO A
TOUCH WITH THE VIETNAMESE GOVERNMENT WHETHER YOU HAVE BEEN IN
ON
REFUGEES?
/A1
WELL,