XN000022-1987-08-12 — Page 2

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 12, 1987

FCO MINISTERS AWARE OF VIETNAMESE ARRIVAL PROBLEM

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FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTI OFFICE MINISTERS IN LONDON ARE FULLY AWARE OF THE SERIOUSNESS OF THE PROBLEM CONCERNING THE ARRIVAL IN HONG KONG OF EX-CHINA VIETNAMESE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS, THE GOVERNOR, SIR DAVID WILSON, SAID THIS (WEDNESDAY) EVENING.

SPEAKING TO REPORTERS AT THE AIRPORT ON HIS RETURN FROM LONDON, SIR DAVID SAID THEY WERE ALSO FULLY AWARE OF THE FACT THAT THEY WERE NOT REFUGEES AND THAT THEY WERE PEOPLE WHO HAD SETTLED IN CHINA.

**THEY MUST BE RETURNED TO CHINA WITH THE CO-OPERATION OF THE CHINESE AUTHORITIES AND AS YOU KNOW URGENT DISCUSSIONS ARE GOING ON WITH THE CHINESE AUTHORITIES TO DO THAT." HE SAID.

IN RESPONSE TO A QUESTION, SIR DAVID SAID HE WOULD BE GOING TO PEKING IN THE EARLY AUTUMN AND THAT THERE WOULD BE AN ANNOUNCEMENT WHEN THE EXACT DATE HAD BEEN FINALISED.

SIR DAVID SAID THAT WHILE IN LONDON HE MET WITH THE FOREIGN SECRETARY, FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE MINISTERS AND OTHER SENIOR OFFICIALS.

HE SAID HE ALSO TOOK THE OPPORTUNITY YESTERDAY TO CALL ON LORD GLENARTHUR AND TALKED TO HIM BOTH ABOUT HIS VISIT HERE NEXT MONTH AND IN PARTICULAR ABOUT THE ARRIVAL OF THE EX-CHINA VIETNAMESE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS.

ASKED IF HE WOULD DISCUSS WITH CHINESE OFFICIALS ABOUT THE VIETNAMESE PROBLEM, SIR DAVID SAID IT WOULD DEPEND ON WHAT THE SITUATION WOULD BE AT THAT TIME.

"I HOPE, AND I EXPECT LONG BEFORE I GO PERSONALLY TO PEKING, THAT THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN DISCUSSIONS AT AN OFFICIAL LEVEL WITH THE CHINESE AUTHORITIES AND THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN MOVEMENT IN ORDER ΤΟ GET PEOPLE RETURNED TO CHINA," HE SAID,

WHEN ASKED WHOM HE WOULD BE MEETING IN PEKING, SIR DAVID SAID ALL THOSE ARRANGEMENTS WERE STILL TO BE MADE.

"I WOULD EXPECT ΤΟ MEET THE SAME SORT OF PEOPLE AS THE PREVIOUS GOVERNOR, SIR EDWARD YOUDE, MET WHEN HE WENT," HE SAID.

ASKED IF HE WOULD TALK ABOUT POLITICAL REFORM WITH CHINESE OFFICIALS, SIR DAVID SAID HE WOULD BE DISCUSSING THE WHOLE RANGE OF ISSUES RELATING TO HONG KONG AND CHINA. HOWEVER, HE ADDED THAT MANY OF THOSE ISSUES WERE OF COURSE A MATTER FOR DISCUSSION BETWEEN THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT AND THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT.

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COMMENTING ON THE BNO PASSPORT ISSUE, SIR DAVID SAID THAT HE WAS CONFIDENT THAT IN THE CASE OF THAILAND, IT WOULD

BE POSSIBLE USE THE BNO PASSPORT IN EXACTLY THE SAME WAY AS THE BDTC PASSPORT,

"THE GOVERNMENT HAS ALREADY BEEN IN DISCUSSION WITH THE AUTHORITIES, AND I'M CONFIDENT THAT THE PROBLEM IS BEING SORTED HE SAID.

THAI OUT,

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