TNAG-1253-FCO40-1586-Third-countries-and-the-future-of-Hong-Kong-1983 — Page 70

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MR HAYDEN'S VISIT TO HONG KONG : PRESS CONFERENCE

FOLLOWING IS THE TRANSCRIPT OF MR HAYDEN'S PRESS CONFERENCE WITH AUSTRALIAN JOURNALISTS AND OTHER MEDIA REPRESENTATIVES IN HONG KONG AT 1430 4 JULY 1983.

MR HAYDEN: TODAY SPOKE TO SOME PEOPLE INCLUDING THE ACTING GOVER- NOR ABOUT HONG KONG 1997, WHAT MIGHT BE HAPPENING AND WHERE HONG KONG MIGHT GO. BEFORE I GO ON WITH THAT I THINK I OUGHT TO PUT A JUSTIFICATION IN PLACE ABOUT OUR INTEREST IN THIS MATTER.

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THOSE JOURNALISTS THAT HAVE BEEN TRAVELLING WITH ME ARE AWARE THAT I HAVE BEEN EMPHASISING THAT WE ARE PART OF THIS REGION AND THAT WE THEREFORE HAVE AN INTEREST IN WHAT UNFOLDS IN THE REGION. WHERE EVENTS THAT DEVELOP OR MAY DEVELOP IN THE REGION COULD HAVE PRO- FOUND CONSEQUENCES FOR AUSTRALIA, WE WOULD BE IRRESPONSIBLE NOT 10 TAKE AN ACTIVE INTEREST IN. THOSE MATTERS AND, WHERE IT IS APPROPRIATE, WE WOULD BE VERY MUCH IRRESPONSIBLE IN NOT SEEKING TO MAKE APPROPRIATE CONTRIBUTIONS. WHAT AUSTRALIA HAS TO REALISE. AND I BELIEVE IS INCREASINGLY REALISING, IS THAT WITHIN THE REGION IN WHICH IT IS SITUATED IT LIVES IN A VERY COMPLEX PART OF THE WORLD. I SUSPECT THAT WE HAVE AN UN COMPLICATED VIEW OF FOREIGN RELATIONS FOR AUSTRALIA. IN THE PAST WE HAVE TENDED TO RELY ALMOST EXCLUSIVELY ON GREAT POWER ALLIANCES AND FRIENDSHIPS. EVENTS IN RECENT YEARS HAVE STARTED TO TEAR THE SCALES OF INNOCEN CE AWAY FROM OUR EYES. I THINK THAT IS NOWHERE MORE GRAPHICALLY ILLUSTRATED THAN THE SUDDEN SHOCK OF HAVING BOAT PEOPLE ARRIVE IN AUSTRALIA FROM VIETNAM, LARGE NUMBERS OF REFUGEES COMING FROM THAT COUNTRY TO OUR COUNTRY TO SETTLE. THAT I BELIEVE SHOULD HAVE DEMONSTRATED TO US BEYOND ANY DOUBT THAT INSTABILITY IN OUR AREA HAS ENORMOUS CONSEQUENCES FOR OUR COUNTRY AND THEY ARE CONSEQUENCES WE CAN'T IGNORE AND CERTAINLY WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO AVOID. SO THERE- FORE WHATEVER DEVELOPMENTS ARE TAKING PLACE WE HAVE GOT TO TAKE A KEEN INTEREST IN THEM AND ACCORDING TO THEIR NATURE AND POSSIBLE IMPLICATIONS WE WOULD HAVE TO RESPOND. IT WAS IN THAT SENSE THAT I MENTIONED YESTERDAY THAT RELATIONS IN OUR REGION THEREFORE BECOME MORE SIGNIFICANT THAN AN ZUS AND BY THAT I SIMPLY MEANT, AS I POINTED OUT YESTERDAY AND I WILL RESTATE AGAIN TODAY, THAT IF WE HAVE A STABLE POLITICAL SITUATION IN OUR REGION THEN THERE WILL BE MUCH LESS TENSION IN AUSTRALIA. MUCH LESS CONCERN OR EVEN IN SECURITY IF THERE IS A SERIOUSLY UNSTABLE SITUATION WHICH IS WORSENING THEN THAT HAS POLITICAL CON SEQUENCES FOR AUSTRALIA, WE WILL WORRY