TNAG-0888-FCO40-1098-Refugees-from-Vietnam-in-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-boat-people-1979 — Page 130

FCO40 Hong Kong Department Records 聯邦事務部香港部檔案 All

CONFIDENTIAL

HKK2431

RECEIVED PLANNE

(889)

62 294

CONFIDENTIAL

FM MANILA 8108372 JUNE 79

TO IMMEDIATE FCO

TELEGRAM NUMBER 283 OF 1 JUNE

DESK OPPIL

INDEX

849

Ло

Bb

INFO PRIORITY KUALA LUMPUR, BANGKOK, SINGAPORE, JAKAY GOVERNORI HỮNG KONG, UKMIS GENEVA, UKMIS NEW YORK, PEKING, MOSCOW, WASHINGTON AND HANO1.

SAVING TO CANBERRA, WELLINGTON, PARIS, BONN, UKREP BRUSSELS.

YOUR TELNO 120 TO KUALA LUMPUR: VIETNAMESE REFUGEES/ASEAN.

1. HEAD OF CHANCERY CALLED TODAY ON MANALO, DIRECTOR GENERAL OF POLITICAL AFFAIRS, WHO HAD LED PHILIPPINE DELEGATION TO ISLAND

PROCESSING CENTRE MEETING IN JAKARTA ON 15 MAY. H OF C SPOKE ON LINES OF TUR AND LEFT AN AIDE MEMOIRE BASED THEREON, HE ALSO ORALLY

COVERED LATEST DEVELOPMENTS INCLUDING PRIME MINISTER'S APPEAL

TO THE UN SECRETARY GENERAL TO CONVENE A FURTHER UN CONFERENCE

ON THE SUBJECT.

2. MANALO TOOK CAREFUL NOTE AND SAID PHILIPPINES WERE GRAVELY

WORRIED ABOUT THE SITUATION AND WOULD CONSIDER FURTHER ACTION

IN CONSULTATION WITH ASEAN COLLEAGUES. HE SUGGESTED THAT ASEAN

FOREIGN MINISTERS MEETING IN BALI AT END OF THE MONTH WOULD BE

APPROPRIATE FORUM TO CONSIDER WHAT FURTHER ACTION MIGHT BE TAKEN.

H OF C SAID THAT THIS PROPOSED TIMING TOOK NO ACCOUNT OF IMMEDIATE

AND RAPIDLY GROWING SERIOUSNESS OF THE SITUATION: HE URGED PROMPT

CONSULTATION AND ACTION.

3. MANALO SAID THE PHILIPPINES DID NOT WANT TO PROVOKE VIETNAM.

HE SAID THAT UN SECR JX ARY-GENERAL AND UNHCR REPRESENTATIVE HAD

RETURNED FROM HANOI WITH SAME OPTIMISM ABOUT VIETNAM'S FUTURE

CONDUCT. H OF C POINTED OUT THAT VIETNAM'S PRESENT CONDUCT DID

NOT SUGGEST AND DEGREE OF CREDIBILITY. MANALO AGREED BUT SAID THE PHILIPPINES WOULD PREFER TO WORK THROUGH THE UNHCR: THEY DID NOT

WISH TO ANTAGONISE VIETNAM. THEY WERE ALREADY IN TROUBLE WITH

THE VIETNAMESE OVER THE LINE TAKEN INTO THE U.N. TOWARDS INDO-CHINA. H OF C STRESSED THAT. A COORDINATED ASEAN APPROACH TO VIETNAM,

TO THE USSR, AND TO POTENTIAL RESETTLEMENT COUNTRIES WAS BOUND TO BE TAKEN NOTICE OF AN WOULD COMMAND THE GENERAL SUPPORT OF THE

INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY: WITHOUT SUCH ACTION THE SITUATION COULD

ONLY DETERIORATE, WITH MASSIVE ATTENDANT PROBLEMS FOR THE WHOLE

RREGION.

CONFIDENTIAL

14.

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