TNAG-1090-FCO40-1340-Illegal-immigration-from-China-to-Hong-Kong-of-refugees-orig-1981 — Page 31

GR 400

CONFIDENTIAL

FM PEKING 1838452 JUN 81

TO IMMEDIATE F C O

HICK 34112

LATE BINDET: V. VENO. 51

19 JUN 1981

DESK OFFICER

PA

TELNO 445 OF 18/6

INDEX

AND TO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG

INFO PRIORITY UKMIS GENEVA AND LISBON

No Mas

22.6

ROUTINE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE LONDON.

13.2

31

1 REGISTRY

Action Taken

Parril

YOUR TELNO 317 AND MY TELNO 429: VIETNAMESE REFUGEES FROM CHINA

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1. PEIRCE TOOK ACTION WITH ZHENG YAOWEN ON 18 JUNE, AS POSED IN

MY TUR. HE BRIEFED ZHENG ON THE SITUATION IN MACAO AND HONG KONG,

DRAWING ON HONG KONG TELNOS 584, 591 AND 603. HE WARNED ZHENG THAT Seal

THE SITUATION WAS DETERIORATING RAPIDLY, AND THAT THE BURDEN ON MACAO WAS ALREADY MORE THAN MACAO COULD HANDLE. DELAY ONLY ENCOURAGED OTHERS TO MAKE THEIR WAY TO MACAO. ACTION WAS NEEDED

URGENTLY.

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76. ZHENG TOOK A CAREFUL NOTE OF THE STATISTICS AND THE POINTS OF DEPARTURE GIVEN IN HONG KONG TELNO 683. HE SEEMED TO APPRECIATE THE URGENCY OF THE MATTER, AND TO UNDERSTAND THAT THE PRESENT RATE OF DEPARTURE WAS BAD FOR CHINA (BECAUSE OF DESTABILIZATION OF THE REFUGEE SETTLEMENTS AND THE RISK OF BAD PUBLICITY) AS WELL AS FOR MACAO, HONG KONG AND UNHCR. HE SEEMED TO BE BROADLY AWARE OF THE STATE OF AFFAIRS IN MACAO ALREADY. MACAO HAD BEEN IN CONTACT WITH THE LOCAL CHINESE AUTHORITIES. ZHENG UNDERTOOK TO REPORT TO HIS

SUPERIORS.

3. ZHENG ALREADY KNEW THAT NO MEETING HAD TAKEN PLACE BETWEEN GUANGDONG AND HONG KONG ON 3 JUNE. HE SAID THAT A MEETING OF THE PROVINCIAL AUTHORITIES FOR REFUGEES IN GUANGDONG, GUANGXI, FUJIAN AND YUNNAN WAS SCHEDULED TO TAKE PLACE LATER THIS MONTH (ON MONDAY 22 JUNE, ACCORDING TO UNHCR REPRESENTATIVE HERE). THIS WOULD BE FOLLOWED BY A MEETING WITH THE HONG KONG AUTHORITIES. A DECISION HAD ALREADY BEEN TAKEN TO ACCEPT BACK MORE THAN 2000 OF

THOSE ALREADY IN DETENTION.

4. ZHENG SEEMED TO HAVE KEPT HIMSELF IN TOUCH WITH THE REFUGEE PROBLEM SINCE OUR LAST CONTACT WITH HIM. BUT HE WAS NOT AS WELL INFORMED EVEN OF CHINESE MOVES AS THE LOCAL UNHCR MAN, JACQUES MOUCHET. MOUCHET TOLD PEIRCE ON 18 JUNE THAT HE HAS SEEN CHEN YAN, THE DIRECTOR OF THE OFFICE OF RECEPTION AND SETTLEMENT OF INDOCHINESE REFUGEES IN THE MINISTRY OF CIVIL AFFAIRS, ALMOST DAILY TO DISCUSS THE MACAO PROBLEM AND THE HONG KONG BACKLOG. THE PROBLEM APPEARED TO BE A LACK OF CENTRAL CONTROL OVER THE LOCAL AUTHORITIES. THE CENTRAL AUTHORITIES APPEARED TO ACCEPT THE PRINCIPLE OF ACCEPTING BACK THE REFUGEES WHO LEAVE CHINA AFTER

SETTLEMENT, BUT THE LOCAL AUTHORITIES WERE MORE INCLINED TO SEE

CCDENTIAL

/THE

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