XN000022-1990-06-15 — Page 2

FRIDAY, JUNE 15, 1990

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IMPORTANT TO FIND OV. ALL SOLUTON TO VBP PROBLEM: GOVERNOR

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IT REMAINS EXTREMELY PORTANT THAT WE SHOULD FIND AN OVERALL SATISFACTORY SOLUTION TO THE VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE PROBLEM, ALTHOUGH IT HAS BEEN EASIER TO HANDLE THIS YEAR BECAUSE THE NUMBERS COMING HAVE BEEN MUCH LESS, THE GOVERNOR, SIR DAVID WILSON, SAID TODAY (FRIDAY).

SPEAKING ΤΟ REPORTERS AFTER PRESIDING AT THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF THE ST JOHN'S AMBULANCE ASSOCIATION AND BRIGADE, SIR DAVID SAID THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS, MR FRANCIS MAUDE, WAS CURRENTLY IN WASHINGTON TO DISCUSS A NUMBER OF ISSUES WITH THE AMERICAN GOVERNMENT AND ONE OF THEM WAS THE QUESTION OF VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE.

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THINK IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT WE SHOULD CONTINUE TO PUT ACROSS, AT A HIGH LEVEL, TO PEOPLE IN THE UNITED STATES, THE IMPORTANCE OF FINDING AN OVERALL SOLUTION BECAUSE UP TO NOW ONE OF THE BLOCKS ON AN OVERALL SOLUTION HAS BEEN THE UNITED STATES. THE OTHER BLOCK HAS BEEN VIETNAM, HE SAID.

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WHO:

"IT'S NO GOOD SIMPLY DEALING WITH RESETTLEMENT OF REFUGEES REFUGEES. YOU'VE GOT TO FIND SOME WAY OF DEALING WITH THE PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT REFUGEES.

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"NOW THAT DOES MEAN, AT THE END OF THE DAY, THAT THEY GO HOME TO VIETNAM, WHICH IS WHERE THEY HAVE COME FROM, HE SAID.

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"THE PROPOSAL HAS BEEN PUT TO THE UNITED STATES BEFORE, THAT THEY SHOULD ESTABLISH A HOLDING CENTRE ON ONE OF THEIR PIECES OF TERRITORY IN THE PACIFIC. SO I IMAGINE HE'S BEEN PURSUING THAT,

|| THE GOVERNOR SAID.

ASKED IF HONG KONG WOULD ABOLISH THE FIRST PORT OF ASYLUM POLICY, THE GOVERNOR SAID: "WHAT WE'VE SAID FOR A LONG TIME, IT WAS A POINT WHICH I MADE IN GENEVA LAST YEAR AT THE MAJOR CONFERENCE ON THE WHOLE PROBLEM OF VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE, WAS THAT UNLESS THERE IS A SATISFACTORY OVERALL SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM AT SOME STAGE IT WILL BECOME IMPOSSIBLE FOR HONG KONG TO GO ON PLAYING IT'S RIGHTFUL ROLE IN PROVIDING FIRST ASYLUM.

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"IT IS A POINT THAT WE'VE PUT ACROSS FOR A VERY LONG THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY, HE SAID.

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ASKED ΤΟ COMMENT ON THE VISIT OF THE MAYOR OF SHANGHAI, SIR DAVID SAID HE VERY MUCH WELCOMED THE VISIT HERE BY MAYOR ZHU RONGJI, AND ADDED: "THE IDEA OF COMING TO HONG KONG AND EXPLAINING PERSONALLY WHAT HIS DEVELOPMENT PLANS ARE, WAS, I THINK, A VERY GOOD IDEA AND WILL HELP ΤΟ BUILD UP THE ECONOMIC RELATIONS WHICH WE HAVE WITH SHANGHAI AND WHICH WE'VE HAD FOR A VERY LONG TIME."

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"I ALSO VERY MUCH ENJOYED AND BENEFITTED FROM MEETING THE MAYOR MYSELF, THE GOVERNOR SAID.

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