TNAG-0887-FCO40-1097-Refugees-from-Vietnam-in-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-boat-people-1979 — Page 9

Mr Bullard

PS/Mr Blaker

143/1

HKK 243/1

RECEIVED IN MEGATRY10. 51

- 1 JUN 379

DESK OPHICER INDEX

PA

3/858

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VIETNAMESE REFUGEES

1.

As you know the Lord Privy Seal summoned the Soviet Ambassador on 29 May to tell him of HMG's concern about the Vietnamese refugee problem and to ask the Soviet Government to intervene with Vietnam. The record of this call is attached. We are now arranging for similar action to be taken with the Ambassadors of the other Warsaw Pact countries and Yugoslavia.

2.

The Yugoslav and Bulgarian Ambassadors are in any case

Since due to call on Mr Blaker on 4 and 5 June respectively. it would be difficult to summon all the Ambassadors concerned before the weekend, I recommend that this opportunity should be used to speak to the Bulgarian and the Yugoslav about the Vietnamese problem. We are arranging for the other Ambassadors to call on Mr Bullard or Mr Cortazzi as time permits today and tomorrow, but one or two of them may have to be left until next week. Mr Lunkov is calling on Mr Blaker tomorrow morning and may conceivably refer to the subject again.

3. We consulted the Embassy in Moscow about how best to get the message across. Sir Curtis Keeble commented that the Russians would be more likely to listen if we could persuade some of the ASEAN countries to make representations to them as well. This is being pursued separately. He also pointed out that we could not argue that people should be prevented from leaving a country since this would have obvious implications for our position on emigration from the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. We therefore need to concentrate on the point that it is the Vietnamese authorities who are forcing people to leave Vietnam by their inhuman policies. HM Ambassador in Hanoi has reported a Vietnamese source as saying that over one million

When this ethnic Chinese are to be expelled from Vietnam. figure was used with the Soviet Ambassador, he jumped to the

We cannot conclusion that it came from a Chinese source. reveal to him or to the East European Ambassadors the real source of the information since the Ambassador in Hanoi has asked that it be protected, but we can with confidence reject any suggestion that it is merely Chinese propaganda.

CONFIDENTIAL

14.