TNAG-0895-FCO40-1105-Refugees-from-Vietnam-in-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-boat-people-1979 — Page 267

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

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UNCLASSIFIED

FM FCO 201734Z JULY 79

IMMEDIATE UKMIS GENEVA

TEGRAM NUMBER 163 OF 20 JULY

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AND TO PRIORITY HANO!, HONGKONG, PEKING, TOKYO, MANILA, DJAKARTA KUALA LUMPUR, SINGAPORE, BANGKOK, VIENTIANE, WASHINGTON, PARIS, UKMIS NEW YORK

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FROM NEWS DEPARTMENT FOR MINISTER OF STATE.

My

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FOLLOWING IS TEXT OF TELEVISION INTERVIEW GIVEN BY THE SECRETARY OF STATE IN GENEVA ON FRIDAY, 20TH JULY DURING HIS VISIT FOR THE CONFERENCE ON INDO-CHINESE REFUGEES.

QUESTION: YOUR SPEECH TO THE CONFERENCE WAS POLITICAL IN TONE,

WHY WAS THAT?

ANSWER: I DONT THINK YOU CAN DIVORCE THE TWO THINGS BECAUSE UNLESS YOU TACKLE THE POLITICAL REALITY OF THE REFUGEES LEAVING VIETNAM, THERE IS NO SOLUTION TO IT. THERE IS AN OPEN ENDED COMMITMENT FOR 1 MILLION, 2 MILLION, REFUGEES, PERHAPS MORE. AND YOU HAVE GOT TO GET THE TROUBLE AT SOURCE, AND THEREFORE I THINK IT IS VERY NECESSARY ON AN INTERNATIONAL OCCASION OF THIS KIND NOT ONLY TO DEAL WITH THE HUMANITARIAN ASPECTS, BUT TO TRY AND DEAL WITH THE POLITICAL ASPECTS AS WELL.

QUESTION: YOU SAID IN YOUR SPEECH THAT YOU WONDERED WHY THERE WAS A MASS EXODUS FROM VIETNAM. WHAT DO YOU THINK THE REASON

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་ ་ ་

LORD CARRINGTON: I THINK THAT THE REGIME HAS MADE IT INTOLERABLE FOR NOT ONLY THE ETHNIC CHINESE, BUT ALSO FOR SOME OF THE VIET- NAMESE TO GO ON LIVING THERE. OF COURSE IT IS THE RIGHT OF ANYBODY TO LEAVE THEIR COUNTRY IF THEY DISAPPROVE OF WHAT HAPPENS. BUT IT IS NOT RIGHT THAT ANY COUNTRY SHOULD MAKE LIVING INTOLERABLE FOR PEOPLE WITHIN ITS BORDERS. YOUR PROBLEM ON OTHER COUNTRIES IN THE AREA.

VIETNAMESE ARE DOING.

YOU JUST CANT DUMP

THIS IS WHAT THE

QUESTION: THE VIETNAMESE HAVE AGREED TO A SEVEN POINT PLAN FOR THE ORDERLY DEPARTURE OF ANYONE ELSE WHO WANTS TO LEAVE THE COUNTRY, IS THAT SATISFACTORY IN YOUR VIEW?

/ANSWER

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