TNAG-0890-FCO40-1100-Refugees-from-Vietnam-in-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-boat-people-1979 — Page 205

110808Z (FCO)

CONFIDENTIAL

FM HANOI 1101407 JUN 79

TO IMMEDIATE FCO

TELNO 166 OF 11 UJUNE

243/1

•1.069

COMPIDERMAL,

HKK 243

PA

INFO PRIORITY UKMIS GENEVA HONG KONG AND WASHINGTON

SAVING TO BANGKOK KUALA LUMPUR MANILA JAKARTA SINGAPORE

AND CANBERRA,

VIETNAMESE REFUGEES

1.

I WAS SUMMONED TO MFA TO SEE MAI VAN BO (HEAD OF EUROPE 11 DEPARTMENT) ON AFTERNOON OF 8 JUNE. HE PROTESTED

STRONGLY AT RECENT ''EVIL-INTENTIONED STATEMENTS

AGAINST VIETNAM'

BY MEMBERS OF THE BY MEMBERS OF THE

BRITISH GOVERNMENT.

WE HAD A HARD HITTING DISCUSSION ON THE SUBJECT.

2. BO SAID THAT THE DEPARTURE OF REFUGEES WAS AN AFTER- MATH OF PAST US AGGRESSION AND THE RESULT OF CHINESE POLICIES. BY LEAVING IN AN ILLEGAL AND UNORGANISED WAY,

THE REFUGEES CAUSED DIFFICULTIES FOR VIETNAM AND FOR COUN- TRIES OF DESTINATION, IT WAS DANGEROUS FOR THE REFUGEES THEMSELVES. IN VIEW OF THIS THE VIETNAMESE GOVERNMENT HAD ANNOUNCED ON 12 JANUARY 1979 ITS DECISION TO ALLOW THE LEGAL EXIT OF THOSE WHO WISHED TO JOIN THEIR FAMILIES ABROAD. THIS HAD BEEN WELCOMED BY WORLD OPINION. THE VIETNAMESE GOVERNMENT HAD AGREED TO A 7-POINT PROGRAMME WITH UNHCR TO FACILITATE DEPARTURE OF THOSE WHO WISHED TO LEAVE IN AN ORDERLY AND SAFE MANNER. WHILST EVERYTHING WAS GOING FAVOURABLY, AND DESPITE REPEATED EXPLANATIONS OF VIETNAMESE POLICY, SEVERAL REPRESENTATIVES OF THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT HAD CONTINUED TO MAKE EVIL-INTENTIONED STAT- EMENTS AGAINST VIETNAM. THEY HAD SAID THAT VIETNAM ENCOUR~ AGED AND PROFITED IN THE TRAFFIC OF BOAT REFUGEES AND HAD ADOPTED A BLATANTLY RACIALIST POLICY AGAINST VIETNAMESE OF CHINESE DESCENT. THESE WERE PURE FABRICATIONS, ECHOING WELLKNOWN DISTORTIONS AND SLANDERS OF THE PEKING RULERS. THE VIETNAMESE GOVERNMENT FLATLY REJECTED AND STRONGLY

CONFIDENTIAL

/ PROTESTED

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