UNCLASSIFIED
(e) the British Embassy in Bangkok is satisfied that no
bilateral aid reaches Khmer Rouge or the Vietnamese and monitors UNBRO's operation generally.
CONCLUSIONS
15. The initial decision to contribute to the international
response to the refugee crisis was made quite properly primarily on humanitarian grounds. It would moreover have been impossible to predict with acccuracy the development of events and their effects on UK interests in the region. As the aid policy developed, however, it became increasingly possible to place alongside the humanitarian objective the other objectives discussed above, and to evaluate these against the level and direction of the aid provided.
16.
Although no overall political solution to the Cambodian
conflict is in sight, Thailand continues to develop, along with.
other ASEAN countries, as a force for stability in the region and as
a significant trading and investment partner for the UK. Vietnam's expansionism is checked, with a growing opportunity for the Cambodian resistance, backed by a united ASEAN and the West, to keep
up the pressure on Vietnam and its clients. Thailand is also
continuing its contributions to efforts to find humane solutions to
the refugee burden. The UK's political concerns in the region are
thus being met as are its commercial interests. The refugee problem
has been contained, but remains a cause of serious concern and the
need to find effective durable solutions remains paramount. The UK contribution to the relief efforts remains appropriate to its
resources and its degree of involvement in the region.
SOUTH EAST ASIAN DEPARTMENT
FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE
NOVEMBER 1986
UNCLASSIFIED
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