TNAG-1279-FCO40-1630-Repatriation-of-Vietnamese-refugees-from-Hong-Kong-1983 — Page 74

RESTRICTED

HANOI TELELETTER 324

favorell

220

TRUCKED IN ALUEISTAY NO. 14 -7 FEB:933

D-

RESTRICTED

FOLLOWING FROM:

ME PIKE, HANOI

FILE REFERENCE:

020/1

DATED 2 FEBRUARY

FOLLOWING FOR :

COPIED TO:

K F X BURNS, SEAD, FCO

R I MCLAREN, POLITICAL ADVISER, HONG KONG

MISS J MOLE, OT/2, DOT

CHANCERIES AT:

BANGKOK

PEKING

KUALA LUMPUR

MANILA

SINGAPORE

JAKARTA

4.

WASHINGTON AND VIENTIANE (PY BAG)

CALL ON VIETNAMESE FOREIGN MINISTER

1. I PAID A BRIEF COURTESY CALL ON THE VIETNAMESE FOREIGN MINISTER TODAY.

DILATERAL: A) COMMERCIAL/ENGLISH LANGUAGE TRAINING

2. CO THACH (WHO SPOKE IN ENGLISH) LED OFF BY EXPRESSING HIS HOPE THAT BRITAIN AND VIETNAM WOULD COOPERATE MORE CLOSELY IN FUTURE. I SAID THAT I LOOKED FOR AN EXPANSION OF ANGLO-VIETNAMESE TRADE. I HAD THEREFORE BEEN PLEASED TO LEARN IN LONDON, BEFORE LEAVING FOR HANOI, THAT BRITISH SHIPBUILDERS HAD RECEIVED AN ENQUIRY FROM PETROVIETNAM ABOUT THE POSSIPLE SUPPLY OF SPECIALIST SUPPLY VESSELS FOR OFF-SHORE OIL WORK: AND THAT COAL IMEX (THE STATE COAL CORPORATION) HAD AGAIN BEEN IN TOUCH WITH DOWTY MECO AFTER A LONG PERIOD OF SILENCE. 1 INTENDED TO FOLLOW UP THESE

INITIATIVES HERE.

2. ON ENGLISH TEACHING, I SAID THAT I COULD HOLD CUT NO HOPE FOR THE PROVISION OF SCHOLARSHIPS FOR ELT STUDENTS IN BRITAIN. BUT VIETNAMESE STUDENTS WOULD BE WELCOME IF THEY OR THE VIETNAMESE COVERNMENT, WERE PREPARED TO FINANCE THEIR STAY. CO THACH SAID THAT VIETNAM WOULD NOT ACCEPT DISCRIMINATION: SHE WOULD NOT BE PREPARED TO SEND STUDENTS TO BRITAIN UNLESS THEY, LIKE STUDENTS FROM SO MANY OTHER COUNTRIES, RECEIVED SCHOLARSHIPS. 1 REITERATED THAT STUDENTS WHO COULD PAY THEIR OWN WAY WOULD CERTAINLY BENEFIT FROM A PERIOD OF STUDY IN BRITAIN.

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