TNAG-0881-FCO40-1091-Refugees-from-Vietnam-in-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-boat-people-1979 — Page 41

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CON CENTIAL

EKG KONG 2007482 FEB 79

CONFIDENTIAL

TO PRIORITY FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE TELNO.295 OF 20 FEBRUARY,

HKK 243/1

TOP COPY

INDER

397

INFO PRIORITY: UKMIS GENEVA, WASHINGTON,

No

221.2

مخيم

ROUTINE : SINGAPORE, JAKARTA, KUALA LUMPUR, MANILA, BANGKOK,

HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE LONDON,

INFO SAVING : HANOI,

VIETNAMESE REFUGEES.

348

(863

Sparken the Mihara Ihr Certazzi has replied:

1. IT IS CLEAR FROM JAKARTA TELNO.59 TO THE F.C.O AND MANILA TELNO.70 TO F.C.O, AS WELL AS PRESS REPORTS, THAT THE IDEA OF A TEMPORARY STAGING POINT FOR REFUGEES FROM VIETNAM IS GAINING GROUND IN ASEAN. LEE KUAN YEW TOLD ME ON 16 FEBRUARY THAT THE INDONESIAN IDEA IN PROPOSING THE USE OF THEIR OWN TERRITORY WOULD BE TO USE REFUGEES FOR CLEARING JUNGLE, BUILDING ROADS, ETC. FE THOUGHT THEY WOULD NOT BE WORRIED ABOUT QUICK ONWARD MOVEMENT (HE MENTIONED ONE OR TWO YEARS AS BEING ACCEPTABLE) PROVIDING THERE WAS NO EVENTUAL RESIDUE, WE KNOW LOCALLY FROM THE AMERICANS HERE, AND FROM MANILA'S TEL UNDER REF, THAT THE STATE DEPARTMENT

THE U.S CONSUL-GENERAL ARE KEEN ON THE TRANSIT CENTRE CONCEPT.

HAS TOLD ME IN CONFIDENCE THAT IF A TRANSIT CENTRE IN INDONESIA IS AGREED IN PRINCIPLE THE AMERICANS MIGHT BE PREPARED TO CONSIDER THE USE OF GUAM TEMPORARILY WHILE THE INDONESIAN CENTRE WAS BEING PREPARED, BUT THE PREMATURE OFFER OF GUAM WOULD MERELY REMOVE THE INCENTIVE FOR AN ASEAN INITIATIVE.

:

2.2.

J 2

2. THERE ARE OBVIOUSLY MANY PROBLEMS SURROUNDING THE IDEA OF SUCH A TRANSIT CENTRE. IN PARTICULAR IT IS NOT REALISTIC TO EXPECT CAST-IRON GUARANTEES THAT EVERYBODY WILL BE MOVED ON SEMI-COLON IT MIGHT ALSO TAKE FAR TOO LONG TO ESTABLISH. NEVERTHELESS, THE IDEA REPRESENTS THE ONLY PROPOSITION SO FAR PUT FORWARD WHICH MIGHT HELP TO DEAL WITH THE PROBLEM NOW BEING FACED BY HONG KONG AND THE ASEAN COUNTRIES. MOREOVER EVEN IF A CONCERTED ASEAN ATTEMPT TO ESTABLISH A TRANSIT CENTRE FAILS, IT MIGHT GENERATE SUFFICIENT

SUCH A INTEREST TO ENCOURAGE THE AMERICANS TO REOPEN GUAM. TRANSIT CENTRE ANYWHERE TO WHICH WE COULD PASS ON REFUGEES WOULD MAKE E FUNDAMENTAL DIFFERENCE TO OUR OWN PROBLEMS.

CONFIDENTIAL

3. I AM WORRIED