TNAG-0888-FCO40-1098-Refugees-from-Vietnam-in-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-boat-people-1979 — Page 54

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CRS 984

RESTRICTED

FN JAKARTA 17 0530Z MAY 79

TO IMMEDIATE FCO

TELNO 138 OF 17 MAY

INFO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG

Mr Mcharen

Please consider &

with Mr Sinons & adoral

INFO PRIORITY PARIS (FOR MURRAY), UKMIS GENEVA, KUALA LUMPUR, SINGAPORE, BANGKOK, MANILA AND WASHINGTON,

MY TELNO 134:

He

17/0

JAKARTA CONFERENCE ON THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A PROCESSING CENTRE

FOR VIETNAMESE REFUGEES.

1. AFTER ARDUOUS DISCUSSION INTO THE EVENING OF 16 MAY, THE

MEETING AGREED THE TEXT OF A CONCLUDING SUMMARY BY THE CHAIRMAN (FOREIGN MINISTER NOCHTAR), A CLEAN TEXT OF THIS, WHEN AVAILABLE, WILL FOLLOW BY BAG.

2.

THE SUMMARY RECAPITULATES EARLIER ASEAN ACTIVITY TO PROMOTE A REFUGEE PROCESSING CENTRE AFTER THE STATEMENT OF ASEAN FOREIGN MINISTERS IN BANGKOK ON 21 FEBRUARY. IT NOTES THE ASEAN COUNTRIES' AGREEMENT THAT PRIORITY FOR THE USE OF THE PROCESSING CENTRE (PC) SHOULD BE GIVEN TO THOSE ASEAN COUNTRIES OF FIRST REFUGE MOST

SEVERELY AFFECTED IN TERMS OF EXISTING NUMBERS AND THE RATE OF

ARRIVAL OF NEW REFUGEES,

3. THE SUMMARY NOTES THAT MOCHTAR OPENED THE MEETING BY EMPHAS-

ISING THAT IT SHOULD CONCERN ITSELF WITH GIVING A RESPONSE TO THE INDONESIAN GOVERNMENT'S OFFER OF AN ISLAND. HE EMPHASISED THAT THE MEETING SHOULD NOT DISCUSS EITHER THE IMMEDIATE OR FUNDAMENTAL CAUSES OF THE OUTFLOW OF REFUGEES FROM VIETNAM, WHICH SHOULD SIMPLY BE ACCEPTED AS A FACT. HE WELCOMED THE PRESENCE OF A DELEGATION FROM VIETNAM AS A GESTURE OF COODWILL AND AS A

TOKEN OF THE SERIOUSNESS OF THE PLEDGE GIVEN BY VIETNAM THAT THERE IS NO INTENTION TO CAUSE HARDSHIP OR BURDEN TO THE NEIGHBOUR-

ING COUNTRIES OF ASEAN WITH THE REFUGEE PROBLEM??.

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