CONFIDENTIAL
COULD BE DONE TO ENSURE THAT THE MORATORIUM ON BOAT REFUGEES
CONTINUED WOULD BE VALUABLE. IT WAS FOR CONSIDERATION WHETHER THE
KAMPUCHEA CONFERENCE WOULD BE AN APPROPRIATE FORUM. ON (11) HE
SAID THAT WE WERE ANXIOUS TO ENSURE THAT REFUGEES CONTINUE 10
MOVE ON FROM HERE SO THAT THERE WAS SOME LEEWAY IN CASE OF
A RENEWED EXODUS. WE WERE CONSIDERING WHETHER A FINANCIAL
CONTRIBUTION WAS POSSIBLE. THIS WOULD ULTIMATELY HAVE TO BE DECIDED
BY THE FINANCE COMMITTEE COMPOSED OF UNOFFICIALS. IN RETURN
WE WOULD WANT A COMMITMENT THAT A CONTRIBUTION WOULD PAY
DIVIDENDS IN MORE REFUGEES GOING FROM HERE TO THE RPC. PALMIERI
SAID THAT WHILE HE COULD NOT GIVE A COMMITMENT, HE ''MIGHT BE
ABLE TO DELIVER''. THE US WOULD HAVE TO MAKE IT CLEAR THAT THEY WOULD
''CALL THE SHOTS'' IN DECIDING WHO WENT TO THE CENTRE. UNHCR
WERE DRAGGING THEIR FEET ON THE WHOLE BUSINESS.
4. IN ADDITION, PALMIERI TALKED ABOUT THE ORDERLY DEPARTURE
SCHEME FROM VIETNAM. HE SAID THAT THE US WOULD BE ABLE TO TAKE
ABOUT 20 TO 30,000 PEOPLE A YEAR THROUGH THIS SCHEME IF ONLY THE
VIETNAMESE WOULD CO-OPERATE ON THE PRACTICAL ARRANGEMENTS. THEY
HAD RECENTLY PROVIDED SOME FURTHER INFORMATION ON CASES IN WHICH
THE AMERICANS WERE INTERESTED. BUT THEY STILL SEEMED UNWILLING TO
CO-OPERATE FULLY. THIS MADE HIM WONDER WHETHER THE VIETNAMESE
REALLY WANTED THE SCHEME TO WORK RATHER THAN USE ITS INEFFECTIVENESS
AS AN EXCUSE FOR ALLOWING GREATER NUMBERS OF PEOPLE TO LEAVE
BY OTHER MEANS.
F C O PASE PASS SAVING HANO I
MACLEHOSE
(REPEATED AS REQUESTED)
FILES SEAD
HK & GD
UND
250
BOD
PUSD
OLD
IPD
XES D MAND
PS
PS/LFS
PS/MR BLAKER FS/ME · RIDLEY
FS/PUS
SIR D MAITLAND
MR CORTAZZI
MR MURRAY
MR STRATTON
LORD NG LENNOX
2
ADDITIONAL DISTN.
BOAT PEOPLE
CONFIDENTIAL
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