TNAG-0895-FCO40-1105-Refugees-from-Vietnam-in-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-boat-people-1979 — Page 254

UNCLASSIFIED

1432A

FM UKMIG GENEVA 201633Z JULY 79

O IMMEDIATE FCO

TELNO 248 OF 29/7/79

AND TO IMMEDIATE UKMIS NEW YORK HONG KONG

CENEVA CONFERENCE OR REFUGEES

الدمي

HK K2 H 31

PA NA 23/2

23

册

ラ

1. FOLLOWING ARE EXTRACTS FROM SECRETARY OF STATES PRESS CONFERENCE

IN GENEVA TODAY.

2. '' THE REASON FOR THIS CONFERENCE IS OF COURSE THE

KITNESSING OF THE APPALLING HUMAN TRAGEDY AND THERE ARE SOME

O YOU PRESENT WHO WERE WITH ME NOT LONG AGO WHEN WE

SAW AT FIRST HAND SOMETHING OF THAT HUMAN TRAGEDY AND WE SAW THE 65,-66,383 REFUGEES NOW IN TEMPORARY SANCTUARY IN HONG KONG, AND OF COURSE THE FIRST OBJECT OF THIS CONFERENCE IS HUMANITARIAN, TO TRY AND DEAL WITH THE PROBLEM WHICH THE EXODUS OF REFUGEES FROM VIETNAM HAS RAISED AND TO TRY AND FIND THE WAY IN WHICH THE COUNTRIES OF THE WORLD CAN EQUITABLY SPARE THE BURDEN WHICH THIS EXODUS HAS RAISED. THERE IS IN ADDITION OF COURSE A POLITICAL REALITY, THAT WHAT HAS HAPPENED HAS HAPPENED AS A RESULT OF THE POLICIES OF VIETNAM. I MYSELF FOUND IT DISAPPOINTING TO LISTEN, TO THE SPEECH OF THE DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER OF VIETNAM THIS MORNING IN WHICH HE MADE NO PROPOSALS AND DIDN'T APPARENTLY UNDERSTAND THE SCOPE OF THE PROBLEM WHICH FACES THE WORLD AND THE REASONS WHY IT WAS HAPPENING AND SO FAR AS I COULD JUDGE ONLY REITERATED THE SEVEN POINT

AGREEMENT WHICH HE HAD REACHED SOME

TIME AGO WITH THE UN HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGEES.

3. BUT WE ARE HERE MOSTLY AND PRIMARILY FOR COMPASSIONATE AND HUMANITARIAN REASONS. IT SEEMS TO ME THAT REALLY THERE

IS A THREE PHASE INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE. WE HAVE GOT TO HAVE A

BE LONG TERM PROGRAMME FOR DEPARTURE. DEPARTURE MUST

ORDERLY WITH NO QUEUE JUMPING. IT MUST DE VOLUNTARY. PEOPLE MUSTN'T BE PUSHED OUT, THERE MUST BE NO ELEMENT OF COMPULSION AND IT MUST BE SEEN TO BE JUST AND FAIR. THERE HAS BEEN SOME TALK OF THE POSSIBILITIES OF A CAMP IN VIETNAM, OR SEVERAL CAMPS IN VIETNAM. IF THE VIETNAMESE GOVERNMENT BEHAVED PROPERLY AND LET PEOPLE STAY IN THEIR HOMES AND JOBS UNTIL IT WAS POSSIBLE FOR

/THEM