TNAG-0887-FCO40-1097-Refugees-from-Vietnam-in-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-boat-people-1979 — Page 24

790

CPS 1300

CONFIDENTIAL

CONFIDENTIAL

IM UKMIS GENEVA 3111272 MAY 79

TJ PRIORITY FCO

TELEGRAM NUMMER 173 OF 31 MAY 1979

IPO PRIORITY HONG KONG, WASHINGTON, LISBOLy

DANGKOK.

HKK 2431

PA

P/1.0. $1

TIFO SAVING UKMIS NEW YORK, KUALA LUMPUR LEIGAPORE, JAKARTA

AND MANILA.

851

INDO CHINESE REFUGEES

DESK 0.

MDEX

PA

*

1. I CALLED ON HARTLING, UN HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGEES, YESTERDAY. WE BEGAN WITH HIS VISIT TO CHINA. HE SAID THAT THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME THAT A HIGH COMMISSIONER HAD VISITED CHINA, AND HE INTERPRETED THE INVITATION AS A SIGN THAT THEY VERE DRAWING CLOSER TO THE UN. THERE HAD BEEN AMPLE OPPORTUNITY TO DISCUSS REFUGEES, AND HE HAD FOUND THE CHINESE ATTITUDE POSITIVE. THE CHINESE RECKONED THAT THERE WERE NOW 290,328 VIETNAMESE REFUCEES (MOSTLY ETHNIC CHINESE) IN CHINA HE WAS

TAKEN TO VISIT KEFUGEE SETTLEMENTS (HE COULD NOT DESCRIBE THEM AS CAMPS) AND WAS STRUCK BY HOW DECENTLY THE REFUGEES WERE TREATED

ON THE SAME BASIS, AND OFTEN WORKING ALONGSIDE, THE INDICINOUS POPULATION. FROM HIS CONVERSATIONS WITH THE REFUGEES

HARTLING HAD BECOME AWARE OF THE FULL EXTENT OF THE PERSECUTION

OF THE ETHNIC CHINESE IN VIETNAM AND WAS NOW COMING TO THE

CONCLUSION THAT THE VIETNAMESE INTENDED TO EXPEL THEM ALL.(HE WAS GRATEFUL FOR THE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION PROVIDED IN NOTES WHICH I GAVE HIM BASED ON HONG KONG TELS 669 AND 635) THE

$13 SITUATION WAS AKIN TO THE NAZI PERSECUTION OF THE JEWS IN THE

THIRTIES.

•

2. SPEAKING PERSONALLY HARTLING BELIEVED THAT ONE OF THE MAIN CAUSES FOR THE SUDDEN INCREASE IN THE OUTFLOW WAS THE VIETNAMESE

FEAL THAT THE CHINESE WOULD ATTACK AGAIN QUOTE TO TEACH THEM A SECOND LESSON UNQUOTE. THEY WERE THEREFORE DETERMINED TO PUSH OUT ALL ETHNIC CHINESE, WHOM THEY NOW RECARDED AS A DANGEROUS FIFTH COLUMN, FROM VIETNAM, LAOS AND KAMPUCHEA (WITNESS THE RECENT ARRIVALS OF ETHNIC CHINESE AT THE THAI BORDER). DE HAAN WAS AT PRESENT IN HANOI, AND WOULD BE RETURNING (VIA BANGKOK) AT THE END OF THE. WECK, BUT HARTLING WAS UNDER NO DELUSIONS THAT WHILST THE VIETNAMESE

WERE TALKING COOPERATIVELY TO UNIICR THEY WERE AT THE GAME TIME

ENGAGED IN RUTHLESS PERSECUTION AND EXPULSION

CONFIDENTIAL

3.