TNAG-0887-FCO40-1097-Refugees-from-Vietnam-in-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-boat-people-1979 — Page 161

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Y NO. 51

30 MAY 1979

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FM MOSCOW 291240Z MAY 72

TO FLASH FCO

TELEGRAM NUMBER 311 OF 29 MAY

INFO WASHINGTON, PEKING, UKNIS GENEVA, HONG KONG, KUALA LUMPUR, SINGAPORE, BANGKOK, MANILA AND JAKARTA

FOR CORTAZZI

YOUR TELNO 121 VIETNAMESE REFUGEES

(272)

1. WE SPOKE. I AGREE THAT IN RESPONSE TO BRITISH REPRESENTATIONS

THE SOVIET UNION CANNOT BE EXPECTED TO INTERVENE WITH VIETNAM

TO STOP THE EXODUS’’ IF THEY CHOOSE TO INTERPRET ANY APPROACH

AS A REQUEST FOR ADMINISTRATIVE MEASURES TO STOP THE EXODUS OF PEOPLE WHO WANT TO LEAVE, THEY WILL PROBABLY ACCUSE US OF HYPOCRISY (ARGUING THAT WE HAVE BEEN QUITE READY TO TAKE UP

THE CUDCELS WITH THE SOVIET UNION OVER THE RIGHT TO EMIGRATE

IN CASES WHERE THE DESTINATION IS LIKELY TO BE ISRAEL, THE UNITED STATES OR WEST GERMANY). THEY WOULD ALSO IN ALL PROBABILITY ARGUE THAT THERE IS NO NEED FOR THE EXODUS: THERE IS AN HONOURABLE PLACE IN VIETNAM FOR THOSE WHO WILL COOPERATE IN BUILDING A SOCIALIST SOCIETY AND THE PROBLEMS ARE CAUSED BY BOURGEOIS ELEMENTS, ENCOURAGED BY OUR FRIENDS THE CHINESE TO PLACE OBSTACLES ON THE VIETNAMESE ROAD TO SOCIALISM.

2. WE SHOULD BE ON SAFER GROUND IF WE WERE TO SAY THAT THOSE WHO WISHED TO LEAVE SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO DO SO, BUT THAT INTERNATIONAL ACTION WAS NEEDED TO ENSURE THAT BEFORE REFUGEES EMBARKED THEIR FINAL DESTINATION SHOULD BE ARRANGED: AND THAT THEIR MOVEMENT SHOULD BE ON A SAFE AND UMANE BASIS. IN SHORT, WE STOULD TAKE ISSUE WITH THE CIRCUMSTANCES, NOT WITH THE EXODUS AS SUCH.

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