TNAG-1179-FCO40-1481-Resettlement-of-Vietnamese-refugees-from-Hong-Kong-into-the--1982 — Page 100

CONFIDENTIAL

NESUMA PARROWONG ZUU

+kk 243./1

-

1 JAN 182

DESK OFFICER

INDEX

A E Donald Esq CMG AUSS

FCO

Эн Daw Aen

VIETNAMESE REFUGEES

DA

REGISTRY

Metion Ta

312/ Af 3/2

BRITISH HIGH COMMISSION

WISMA DAMANSARA

JALAN SEMANTAN

KUALA LUMPUR, 23-03 TEL. NO. HERX

941533

14 January 1982

When we have had The other comments,

must reply to Sir P. Haddon - Cave.

нада

I

Enter

HKK 243/2 18

1981

Oddly, the subject was

not broached wire

lle LPS!

Arfoud

1. In his letter to you of 2 December Philip Haddon-Cave outlined various options to deal with the continuing problems of refugees from Vietnam, particularly in Hong Kong. In paragraph 8(f) he invited me and others in the region to assess the likely local response to the idea of using the See(9 threat of repatriation to Vietnam as a deterrent.

2. So far the question of repatriating refugees to Vietnam has not arisen in our contacts with the Malaysians and I presume it is not something you would wish us to raise with them at present. The following therefore represents only our own best guesses.

3. Alan White mentioned in his letter of 6 November to Kevin Burns that the Malaysians had recently been speculating about possible ways of deterring new arrivals, for example by keeping them longer in camps in Malaysia before their departure elsewhere. If they are ready to contemplate one form of deterrent it seems likely that they might also be willing to consider others and the repatriation threat proposal might well appeal.

4. Certainly I do not believe the Malaysians would have any moral qualms about threatening to repatriate refugees to Vietnam. You will recall their readiness to turn them away at the height of the crisis in 1979, despite international condemnation of their behaviour, and this remains their official policy. But their attitude to such a scheme now would be likely to depend on whether it could be put across to the Malaysian public as a "good thing" politically.

5. I do not think this would be difficult. Such a move would be consistent with Dr Mahathir's clear intention that Malaysia should assert itself more positively in world affairs. With a general election on the cards some time this year political credit could probably be expected from such a stand.

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