TNAG-1423-FCO40-1906-Vietnamese-refugees-in-Hong-Kong-general-1985 — Page 160

CONFIDENTIAL

GRS 350

CONFIDENTIAL

FM HONG KONG 30035OZ JAN 85

TO PRIORITY F C O

TELEGRAM NUMBER 243 OF 30 JANUARY

INFO ROUTINE HANOI

HKK 243/5

RECEIVED IN REC

30.

DESK C

INDEX

مة

(14,

STRY

Jaken

VIETNAMESE REFUGEES.

FROM GOVERNOR.

Ms

Faller FFR 243/5.

1. JUST BEFORE I LEFT LONDON ON 25 JANUARY LORD ENNALS AND

DR BARBER OF THE BRITISH REFUGEE COUNCIL CALLED ON ME TO TELL ME

OF THEIR INTENTION TO CONTINUE TO REPRESENT TO HMG THAT THE UK

SHOULD ACCEPT AN ADDITIONAL NUMBER OF VIETNAMESE REFUGEES FROM

HONG KONG. DR BARBER ALSO SPOKE ABOUT THEIR PROPOSAL THAT THERE

SHOULD BE AN INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE TO MOUNT A MAJOR INTERNATIONAL

EFFORT TO FIND A FUNDAMENTAL SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM.

2. DR BARBER IDEAS SEEM TO INVOLVE A RADICAL REAPPRAISAL OF THE

ATTITUDES OF WESTERN AND ASEAN COUNTRIES TOWARDS VIETNAM IN THE

HOPE OF PERSUADING THE VIETNAMESE THAT THE WORLD IS NOT HOSTILE

TO THEM, COMBINED WITH A MORE FAVOURABLE ATTITUDE TOWARDS AID

FOR VIETNAM. HE ARGUED THAT THIS COULD ENCOURAGE THE VIETNAMESE

GOVERNMENT TO CO-OPERATE IN REDUCING THE NUMBER OF REFUGEES

LEAVING VIETNAM.

3. I EXPLAINED TO LORD ENNALS AND DR BARBER THAT HONG KONG HÁD A CONTINUING INTEREST IN REFUGEES BEING RESETTLED FROM HONG KONG

AND THAT THIS INCLUDED NOT ONLY FAMILY REUNION CASES BUT ALSO THOSE

NOW IN CLOSED CAMPS WHO DID NOT QUALIFY UNDER THIS HEADING. I SAID

THAT THE QUESTION OF AN INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE WAS A MATTER FOR YOU

RATHER THAN FOR ME BUT THAT SPEAKING PERSONALLY I FOUND DR BARBER'S

IDEAS TOO POLITICALLY WIDE-RANGING AND TOO UNDEFINED TO CARRY MUCH

CONVICTION. IN MY VIEW FURTHER MEASURES TO RESOLVE THE VIETNAMESE

REFUGEE PROBLEM WOULD HAVE GREATER HOPE OF ACCEPTANCE IF THEY

WERE MORE CLOSELY TAILORE TO THE ISSUE AND DID NOT STRAY INTO

RECOMMENDING MAJOR CHANGES IN POLITICAL ATTITUDES, PARTICULARLY

AS LONG AS THE VIETNAMESE WERE INVOLVED IN CAMBODIA.

CONFIDENTIAL

14.