TNAG-1791-FCO40-2551-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-refugees-repatriation--including-Opera-1988 — Page 147

HED 243/8

CONFIDENTIAL

MAR 1988

58

014564

MDLIAN 4889

TOP COPY Q DIST ?

CONFIDENTIAL

FM HONG KONG

TO PRIORITY FCO

TELNO 1202

OF 240745Z MARCH 88

INFO ROUTINE UKMIS GENEVAL, KUALA LUMPUR, JAKARTA, MANILA INFO ROUTINE BANGKOK, HANOI,

SINGAPORE

HONG KONG TELNO 4 : VIETNAMESE REFUGEES

(MALAYSIA AND SINGAPORE)

CONTACTS WITH ASEAN

MALAYSIA

SUMMARY

MALAYSIAN OFFICIALS SUPPORT THE IDEA OF SEEKING A COMMON REGIONAL APPROACH TO THE PROBLEM AND CONSIDER THAT DRASTIC MEASURES ARE

CALLED FOR.

DETAIL

·

2. ACCOMPANIED BY MS CORNER FIRST SECRETARY, BRITISH HIGH COMMISSION, KUALA LUMPUR, FRENCH MET THE DIRECTOR, MAJOR GENERAL DATO' OSMAN, AND SENIOR OFFICIALS OF MALAYSIA'S TASK FORCE VII AND ENCIK RASTAM, PRINCIPAL ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR PLANNING, INISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS ON 21 MARCH. HE BRIEFED THEM ON

RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN HONG KONG AND IN THAILAND AND THE BACKGROUND TO THEM. HE ALSO MENTIONED THE THAIS' SUPPORT FOR A COMMON REGIONAL APPROACH AND THEIR PROPOSAL TO HOLD A REGIONAL SEMINAR ON THE ISSUE

AT THE END OF MAY.

3. BOTH DATO' OSMAN AND ENCIK RASTAM SAID THAT MALAYSIA HAD NOT

(NOT) SO FAR BEEN AFFECTED BY THAILAND'S RECENT CHANGE OF POLIYC TOWARDS VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE. BUT THEY EXPRESSED CONCERN ABOUT A POSSIBLE FUTURE INFLUX OF REFUGEES REDIRECTED FROM THAILAND.

THEY WELCOMED THE IDEA OF SEEKING AGREEMENT ON A COMMON REGIONAL APPROACH TO THE PROBLEM AND THOUGHT THAT THE PROPOSED CONFERENCE IN THAILAND AT THE END OF MAY WOULD BE A MOST TIMELY MOVE IN THIS DIRECTION CAND A MEANS OF AVOIDING THE POSSIBLE UNDESIRABLE EFFECTS OF SOME FIRST ASYLUM COUNTRIES ACTING IN ISOLATION AT THE

EXPENSE OF OTHERS).

4. THE MALAYSIAN OFFICIALS CLEARLY FELT THAT, ALTHOUGH THE SITUATION IN MALAYSIA WAS STILL MANAGEABLE (THERE HAVING BEEN NO SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN THEIR CAMP POPULATION DURING THE LAST 5 6 YEARS) THERE WAS NO (NO) PROSPECT FOR IMPROVEMENT, IN THE SHORT TO

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