1382
1356A)
GAS 360
CONFIDENTIAL
CONFIDENTAL
FM JAKARTA 135630Z JUL 79
TO IMMEDIATE F C O
TELNO 229 OF 13 JULY
Hkk 243|1
PA
по па ная
جال
INFO PRIORITY UKMIS GENEVA BANGKOK SINGAPORE KUALA LUMPUR MANILA HONG KONG (GOVERNOR)
YOUR TELNO 146 TO UKMIS GENEVA AND HONG KONG TELNO 981 TO FCO:
VIETNAMESE REFUGEES
1. IT SEEMS IMPOSSIBLE TO IMAGINE AT PRESENT THAT THE INDONESIAN COVERNMENT COULD COUNTENANCE ANY SUGGESTION THAT ANY VIETNAMESE
REFUGEES SHOULD BE PERMANENTLY RESETTLED IN INDONESIA. I AM NOT AWARE (NOR IS UNHCR REPRESENTATIVE IN JAKARTA) THAT UNHCR
HAVE PROPOSED INDICATIVE NUMBERS' TO THE INDONESIAN AUTHORITIES FOR RESETTLEMENT OF VIETNAMESE REFUGEES IN THE REGION. (UNHCR HAD! PREVIOUSLY RAISED THE IDEA OF SOME BOAT PEOPLE REFUGEES BEING
ACCEPTED FOR PERMANENT SETTLEMENT IN SOUTH EAST ASIA ONLY IN VERY GENERAL TERMS HERE, EG AT THE JAKARTA MEETING ON THE PROCESSING CENTRES ON 15/16 MAY).
2. AS INDICATED IN PARA 5 OF MY TELNO 213 OF 6 JULY, I COULD HAVE RAISED THIS POINT WITH MOCHTAR EARLIER THIS WEEK. HE HAS NOW LEFT FOR BANGKOK, FOR DISCUSSIONS THERE ON NEXT WEEKS GENEVA MEETING. HE WILL ALSO CALL AT KUALA LUMPUR AND SINGAPORE ON HIS WAY TO GENEVA. BUT IT SEEMS DIFFICULT TO BELIEVE THAT HE (OR ADMIRAL SUDOMO), WHOM I ALSO SAW YESTERDAY) WOULD HAVE GIVEN ANY BUT A WHOLLY NEGATIVE REACTION TO THE IDEA OF INDONESIA ACCEPTING ANY REFUGEES FOR RESETTLEMENT. MOCHTAR'S HANDLING OF THE VIET NAMESE REFUGEES ISSUE HAS NOT PLEASED THE GENERALS HERE (IN PARTICULAR THEMINISTER OF DEFENCE, GENERAL YUSUF), AND IF HE APPEARED TO GIVE WAY ON THIS ISSUE AT GENEVA, HIS OWN POLITICAL FUTURE COULD BE IN JEOPARDY. HIS LAST WORDS TO JOURNALISTS BEFORE HE LEFT FOR BANGKOK YESTERDAY WERE THAT INDONESIA COULD NOT PROVIDE
ANOTHER ISLAND EVEN FOR PROCESSING REFUGEES AS SOME 16 INDONESIAN
ISLANDS HAD ALREADY BEEN OCCUPIED BY REFUGEES.
CONFIDENTAL
13. FOR US
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