TNAG-0884-FCO40-1094-Refugees-from-Vietnam-in-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-boat-people-1979 — Page 108

JAKARTA IL 2/1

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2 Mr Shinson

T J O'BRIEN, JAKARTA.

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DATED: 23RD APRIL 1979-

243/1

FOLLOWING FOR:

D F MURRAY ESQ, AUS, F C O. W

405 10589

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HKK 243/1

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P TRIPP BANGKOK, SIR D HAWLEY KUALA LUMPUR,

J HENNINGS SINGAPORE, W BENTLEY MANILA, SIR J MURRAY UKMIS GENEVA, SIR M MALEHOSELY, HONG KONG.

MY LETTER 243/1 OF 11 APRIL TO SMITH (SEAD).

ИETNAMESE REFUGEES: ISLAND PROCESSING CENTRE.

UN Dept

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in Ci-tez

1. I TOOK MURRAY SIMONS TO CALL ON DARUSMAN AND GENERAL ADEN AN (DI RECTOR-GENERAL POLITICAL AFFAIRS AND HANKAM LIAISON OFFICER IN THE DFA RESPECTIVELY) ON 20 AND 21 APRIL. BOTH HAD BEEN PRESENT AT MOCHTAR'S BRIEFING OF EEC AMBASSADORS REPORTED IN MY LETTER UNDER REFERENCE AND OUR DI SCUSSION TURNED ON MOCHTAR'S EMPHATIC ASSERTION THAT THE ISLAND WAS INTENDED FOR THE EXCLUSIVE USE OF ASEAN COUNTRIES ONLY.

2. WE POINTED OUT THAT HONG KONG HAS EQUAL BURDENS TO CARRY IN THIS INTERNATIONAL PROBLEM OF WHICH THE UK IS SHOULDERING A CONSIDERABLE RESI DUAL LIABILITY. HMG WAS UNLIKELY TO BE ABLE TO OFFER MUCH SUPPORT TOWARD THE INDONESIAN ISLAND AT THE CONFERENCE ON 15 MAY UNLESS ITS OPERATION WERE EXTENDED TO INCLUDE HONG KONG AS WELL.

3. THIS ARGUMENT DID NOT APPEAR TO HAVE EFFECT ON ADEN AN WHO MAINTAINED MOCHTAR'S EXCLUSIVE APPROACH. INDEED, HE REVEALED INDONESIA'S INTENTION OF SETTING UP A PARALLEL NATIONAL REFUGEE CENTRE ALONGSI DE THE UNHCR ON IN WHICH ALL VIETNAMESE REFUGEES WHO HAD LANDED ANYWHERE IN INDONESIA WOULD BE CONCENTRATED. (I WILL PURSUE THAT POINT AT THE CONFERENCE LEST THE INDONESI ANS ATTEMPT TO SWING THE COSTS INVOLVED ONTO THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY)

4. DARUSMAN WAS VERY MUCH MORE SYMPATHETIC BUT EXPLAINED THAT HE HAD PLAYED NO PART IN MOCHTAR'S PLANS AND WOULD IN ANY CASE LEAVE HIS PRESENT JOB ON 3 MAY. HE ASSUMED, HOWEVER, THAT MOCHTAR MUST HAVE CLEARED HIS LINES WITH OTHER ASEAN GOVERNMENTS AND WITH UNHCR BEFORE ANNOUNCING THEM TO POTENTI AL DONOR GOVERNMENTS. ALTHOUGH THE DOOR APPEARED TO HAVE BEEN CLOSED ON HONG KONG, HE ENCOURAGED ME TO LEAN HEAVILY ON IT NOW SO AS TO RESOLVE OUR PROBLEM SATISFACTORILY BEFORE 15 MAY.

5. BEFORE DOING SO, I SHOULD BE GRATEFUL FOR CONFIRMATION FROM OTHER ASEAN POSTS AND FROM GENEVA THAT OTHER ASEAN GOVERNMENTS AND UNHCR HAVE IN FACT ALREADY COMMITTED THEMSELVES TO MOCHTAR'S EXCLUSIVE CONCEPT AND TO THE NON-USE OF THE ISLAND BY HONG KONG. I NOTE THAT DE HAAN TOLD HONG KONG THAT THE ISLAND WOULD BE AVAILABLE TO THEM (HONG KONG TELNO 473). I MUST KNOW THESE FACTS BEFORE TALKING WITH MOCHTAR WHO WILL OTHERWISE BRUSH ASI DE MY OBJECTION BY SAYING THAT THE DECISION IS NOT HIS ALONE AND CANNOT BE REOPENED WITHOUT THE AGREEMENT OF THE OTHER PARTIES CONCERNED.

FCO PLEASE PASS COPIES TO GOVERNOR HONG KONG AND UKMIS GENEVA.