Q.
H.E.
them away;
6
they will be taken off their hands
sooner or later. If not, they will shoot, they will turn away.
This is inevitable.
Is Hong Kong itself prepared to make any pledges if other countries are prepared to do so?
I think this is something one will have to consider as and when one was asked to do it by the conference, and obviously our answer would very much depend on how satisfied we were that this was going to be part of a useful and final programme and it wasn't going to be just a 'few more dumped in our laps.
Have you had any discussions with Malaysia about the refugees?
No.
Do you intend to?
H.E.
Q.
H.E.
Not immediately.
Q.
!
H.E.
:
The officials that you spoke to accept the problem involved in the resettlement of
•
I beg your pardon, I should explain, should qualify what I said: of course, the British Government is in constant touch with ASEAN countries. I thought what you meant. I personally or one of my staff going to call on them.
Q.
:
Any direct communication?
H.E.
:
I think the normal form of contact would be through H.M.G. and that is going on the whole time.
Q.
:
And
what do those contacts
H.E.
(inaudible)
So far as I know they have not yet decided their attity to the conference.
Q.
You mean the ASEAN countries?
H.E.
Q.
H.E.
Yes. Some are favourable; some a bit more doubtful.
Do the officials you have spoken to accept that the problem involves the resettlement of Vietnam's entire Chinese minority?
No,
I don't think 50. can subtract from that. number have gone to China already something like 230,000; perhaps 10,000 a month are crossing the border into China. So by the end of the year 300,000. So that is something you can subtract. But I don't suppose, of the balance, all will have The means to buy their way out or perhaps even want to buy their way out.
So they either go to new economic zones who knows, may be the policy won't be
There are various things one
I mean, we know a great
to camps
/ contd
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