TNAG-0895-FCO40-1105-Refugees-from-Vietnam-in-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-boat-people-1979 — Page 268

ANSWER: THIS SEVEN POINT PLAN IS WHAT THEY AGREED TO SOME TIME AGO WITH THE UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGEES, AND IT ONLY DEALS WITH PEOPLE WHO HAVE GOT ASSURED PLACES IN OTHER COUNTRIES. IN ALL IT WOULD PROBABLY DEAL WITH 20,000 PEOPLE, WHICH IS SOMETHING IN THE REGION OF TWO WEEKS OF BOAT PEOPLE GOING TO HONG KONG AND ELSEWHERE: THIS IS TOTALLY INDADEQUATE. AND WHAT WAS VERY NOTICEABLE IN THE SPEECH MADE BY THE VIETNAMESE DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER WAS THAT HE WELCOMED ALL THE THINGS THAT THE WEST AND THE OTHER COUNTRIES WERE PREPARED TO DO, AND SAID THAT HE GREATLY APPLAUDED WHAT THEY WERE DOING, AND WAS QUITE PREPARED TO DUMP HIS PROBLEM ON US WITHOUT ANY RECOGNITION AT ALL THAT IT IS THE VIETNAMESE GOVERNMENT WHICH IS CAUSING

THE PROBLEM.

QUESTION: DO. YOU THINK THEY WILL HAVE A CHANGE OF HEART

AFTER THIS CONFERENCE?

LORD CARRINGTON: WELL, THINK IF ENOUGH PEOPLE SAY THE SORT OF THINGS THAT I SAID THIS MORNING, THEY WILL AT LEAST KNOW WHAT THE CIVILISED WORLD THINK.

QUESTION: FINALLY, WHAT ABOUT THE 400,000 REFUGEES AWAITING A NEW HOME, ESPECIALLY THE 66,000 IN HONG KONG, WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN TO THEM DO YOU THINK?

LORD CARRINGTON: WELL THIS CONFERENCE IS GOING TO HELP. THE CONFERENCE IS ABOUT THE HUMANITARIAN SIDE. AND I DO THINK THAT THIS CONFERENCE IS GOING TO HAVE A GREAT EFFECT ON THAT. A GREAT MANY PLACES HAVE BEEN OFFERED BY THE COUNTRIES OF THE WORLD: AND A LOT OF MONEY HAS BEEN PLEDGED. I BELIEVE THAT THIS HAS BEEN WORTH WHILE, AND THIS IS WHAT ITS FOR.

QUESTION: CANT BRITAIN DO MORE? WE HAVE OFFERED A FURTHER 10,000 PLACES.

LORD CARRINGTON: WE HAVE DONE QUITE A LOT, AS YOU REALISE. WE HAVE ALREADY GOT 4,000 AND HAVE NOW OFFERED 10,000 MORE. HAVE OUR OWN PROBLEMS WITH IMMIGRATION.

WE HAVE DEFERED ANOTHER 5 MILLION POUNDS. SEE HOW THINGS GO. CARRINGTON

WE

WE HAVE DONE A GOOD DEAL.

WE SHALL HAVE TO

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