TNAG-1747-FCO40-2466-Visit-by-Sir-Geoffrey-Howe--Secretary-of-State-for-Foreign-a-1988 — Page 209

CONFIDENTIAL

FM FCO

TO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG

TELNO 312

OF 04133OZ FEBRUARY 88

CONFIDENTIAL

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FOLLOWING PERSONAL FOR GOVERNOR FROM HUM, HKD

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YOUR TELNOS 479-480: PROPOSED VISIT BY SECRETARY OF STATE TO HONG

KONG: VIETNAMESE REFUGEES

1.

THE IDEA OF A POSSIBLE VISIT BY THE SECRETARY OF STATE TO

HONG KONG IN APRIL WAS ALWAYS A VERY TENTATIVE ONE, AND HAS NOW BEEN DROPPED. HE WILL BE VISITING A NUMBER OF ASEAN COUNTRIES

(MALAYSIA SINGAPORE AND BRUNEI) AND PERHAPS ALSO SRI LANKA. BUT

IT WAS CONCLUDED THAT IT WAS NOT PRACTICABLE FOR HIM EITHER TO

EXTEND HIS TRIP TO HONG KONG OR TO DROP ONE OF THE OTHER

DESTINATIONS IN FAVOUR OF HONG KONG.

,

2. IT FOLLOWS THAT THE IDEA OF A NEW COMMITMENT ON THE

RESETTLEMENT OF VIETNAMESE REFUGEES HAS NOT BEEN TAKEN ANY FURTHER. WE SHALL LOOK AT IT AGAIN IN GOOD TIME BEFORE LORD GLENARTHUR'S VISIT. BUT IT HAS TO BE RECOGNISED THAT THE CHANCES

OF SECURING MINISTERIAL AGREEMENT TO ANY NEW COMMITMENT, ESPECIALLY WHILE THE PRESENT COMMITMENT STILL HAS A YEAR TO RUN, AND ARE NOT AT ALL HIGH. WE NEED TO CHOOSE THE MOMENT WHEN THE

MAXIMUM NUMBER OF ARGUMENTS CAN BE DEPLOYED TO SUPPORT OUR CASE. HOWE

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