XN000022-1987-09-19 — Page 23

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SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 1987

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A:

WELL, I APPRECIATE THE POSITION THAT HONG KONG IS IN. I THINK TOO THAT IF YOU LOOK AT IT SLIGHTLY MORE WIDELY, YOU WOULD REALISE THAT YOU ARE SUGGESTING A CHANGE WHICH GOES MUCH WIDER THAN JUST THE NARROW INTERESTS OF HONG KONG. NOW, THAT IS PERHAPS A VIEW THAT IS HELD BY SOME, MAY BE BY SEVERAL, BUT I AM NOT SURE THAT AN INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE WOULD ACHIEVE WHAT YOU AND OTHERS THINK THAT IT MIGHT. I THINK THAT IF WE ARE TALKING ABOUT CHANGE IN DEFINITIONS, THAT IS SOMETHING THAT GOES MUCH WIDER THAN THE PARTICULAR CASE OF THE VIETNAMESE REFUGEES IN HONG KONG.

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(LORNA WORKMAN): WHAT ABOUT HELPING VIETNAM WITH ITS ECONOMIC PROBLEMS AND THEREBY STOPPING THE FLOW OF PEOPLE LEAVING THE COUNTRY?

A:

I THINK THAT IF WE ARE GOING TO TURN THE ATTENTION OF THIS CONFERENCE INTO A DISCUSSION ABOUT THE POLITICS OF VIETNAM AND CAMBODIA AND THOSE SURROUNDING ISSUES, THEN I THINK WE ARE GETTING A VERY LONG CONFERENCE BUT I THINK THE IMPORTANT THING IS WE HAVE GOT TO CONCENTRATE, IN THE WAY THAT I HAVE DESCRIBED, IN PERSUADING THE VIETNAMESE - IT IS NOT GOING TO BE AN EASY POSSIBILITY NOR, AND I HAVE SAID THIS QUITE CLEARLY, DO I HOLD OUT MUCH HOPE THAT WE WILL HAVE SUCCESS, BUT WE HAVE GOT TO CONTINUE TO TRY, AND WE HAVE GOT TO THINK OF NEW WAYS OF DOING SO, AND THAT IS WHAT WE SHALL CONTINUE TO DO. Q.

(NANCY LANGSTON, THE NEWS AND WORLD REPORT): WHAT SORT OF CONDITIONS WOULD BRITAIN LIKE TO HAVE MET BEFORE ACCEPTING A REPATRIATION PROGRAMME FROM VIETNAM? DOES THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT HAVE ANY CONDITIONS FOR A REPATRIATION PROGRAMME? I MEAN IF VIETNAM SAID, FINE, WE WILL TAKE THEM BACK, WOULD THAT BE GOOD ENOUGH FOR YOU?

A:

I THINK ONE THING THAT 15 ABSOLUTELY CLEAR ABOUT ANY REPATRIATION AND THAT IS THAT IT HAS GOT TO BE DONE IN A WAY THAT WOULD BE ACCEPTABLE TO THOSE REPATRIATED. IT IS NO GOOD PEOPLE GOING BACK TO VIETNAM TO FACE THE SORT OF CONDITIONS WHICH THEY MIGHT FACE IF THOSE ARE UNSATISFACTORY WHICH WOULD CAUSE THEM TO LEAVE AGAIN. THAT IS SOMETHING WHICH OBVIOUSLY IN ITS WIDEST SENSE HAS GOT TO PROVIDE ACCEPTABLE CONDITIONS FOR THEM.

Q.

(NANCY LANGSTON): SO IT WOULD HAVE ΤΟ BE VOLUNTARY ON THE REFUGEES HERE IN HONG KONG?

A:

WELL, I THOUGHT YOU WERE ASKING ABOUT THE CONDITIONS AT THE OTHER END WHEN THEY GO BACK. ON THE QUESTION OF REPATRIATION GENERALLY, I THINK WE HAVE REALLY GOT TO CONTINUE OUR EFFORTS TO ENSURE THAT ANY PROGRESS THAT CAN BE MADE WITH VIETNAM [S MADE AND THE ACTUAL TERMS FOR IT ARE STILL SOME WAY DOWN THE ROAD.

Q.

(JAMES TAM, SING PAO); YOU SAID THERE HAS BEEN TALKS BETWEEN THE UK AND THE VIETNAMESE GOVERNMENT IN THE PAST FEW MONTHS, COULD YOU TELL US WHY WE IN HONG KONG WERE NOT INFORMED ABOUT THE TALKS GOING ON AND THE LEGCO MEMBERS ARE DISCUSSING THE ISSUE ON THE ONE HAND AND THERE IS TALKS GOING ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WORLD?

/A:

WELL,