CONFIDENTIAL
FM BANGKOK
TO PRIORITY FCO
TELNO 175
OF 220915Z MARCH 88
INFO
PRIORITY HAΝΟΙ,
JAKARTA
CONFIDENTIAL
pa
HUD 243/5
0U6121 MDLIAN 4208
85
VIETNAM/CAMBODIA/INDONESIA.
1
►
THE VIETNAMESE AMBASSADOR (LE MAI) TOLD ME AT LUNCH TODAY THAT HIS FOREIGN MINISTER HAD PLANNED TO VISIT INDONESIA ABOUT NOW, BUT HAD BEEN TOLD BY MOCHTAR IN JANUARY THAT HE ONLY HAD A FEW MONTHS TO SERVE AND THAT THE VISIT SHOULD BE POSTPONED.
MY VIETNAMESE COLLEAGUE IMPLIED THAT MOCHTAR'S REPLACEMENT YESTERDAY IN A CABINET RE-SHUFFLE HAD BEEN FULLY EXPECTED IN HANOI.
2. LE MAI SAID THAT IT WOULD CLEARLY TAKE A LITTLE TIME FOR MOCHTAR'S SUCCESSOR ALATAS TO FIND HIS FEET, BUT HE EXPECTED INDONESIAN POLICY TOWARDS VIETNAME TO REMAIN UNCHANGED, SINCE IT HAD
THE BLESSING AND FULL SUPPORT OF PRESIDENT SUHARTO.
3.
LE MAI ADDED THAT HUN SEND HAD JUST RECEIVED A FURTHER MESSAGE FROM SIHANOUK CONFIRMING THE PRINCE'S WILLINGNESS TO MEET HUN SEN AGAIN, BUT NOT BEFORE NOVEMBER/DECEMBER. IN HIS MESSAGE SIHANOUK EXPRESSED 100 PERCENT SUPPORT FOR THE CO THACH/MOCHTAR JOINT STATEMENT IN HO CHI MINH CITY LAST JULY.
4.
·
BEEN
LE
LE MAI SAID THAT HE HAD DISCUSSED THE CURRENT VIETNAMESE REFUGEE PROBLEM WITH THE THAI AUTHORITIES. HE COMMENTED THAT AT LEAST PART OF THE RECENT INCREASE WAS DUE TO AN INFLUX OF SINO-KHMERS FORMER CAMBODIAN RESIDENTS OF CHINESE ORIGIN WHO HAD FLED TO VIETNAM DURING THE POL POT PURGES AND HAD LIVING IN CAMPS IN SOUTH VIETNAME FOR THE PAST 12 YEARS. LAI SAID THAT THESE SINO-KHMERS DID NOT WISH TO RETURN TO
(COMMENT: WE CAMBODIA AND WERE SEEKING ASYLUM IN THAILAND. SHALL NEED TO CHECK WITH UNHCR AND THE THAI AUTHORITIES THE EXTENT OF THIS PARTICULAR PROBLEM).
ΤΟΝΚΙΝ
YYYY
1
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