TNAG-1792-FCO40-2552-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-refugees-repatriation--including-Opera-1988 — Page 131

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FM HONG KONG

TO IMMEDIATE FCO

TELNO 1829

OF 13111OZ MAY 88

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012715

MDHIAN 9359

YOUR TELNO 1070 : SECRETARY OF STATE'S VISIT

WE HAVE BEEN CONSIDERING WHETHER THE SECRETARY OF STATE SHOULD VISIT THE GREEN ISLAND RECEPTION CENTRE RATHER THAN THE CLOSED CENTRE AT CHI MA WAN. GREEN ISLAND IS WHERE WE FIST LAND ALL NEW ARRIVING BOAT PEOPLE AND WHERE WE CARRY OUT THE INTIAL INTERVIEWING TO ASCERTAIN WHETHER THEY ARE INDEED VRS OR ECVIIS OR IIS ARRIVALS ONLY STAY THERE A SHORT TIME. FACILITIES ARE ACCORDINGLY

OF RECENT ARRIVALS. PRETTY BASIC PARTICULARLY WITH THE LARGE NUMBER

•

2. GREEN ISLAND WOULD BE

APPRECIATION

CONSIDERABLY MORE NEWSWORTHY THAN CHI MA WAN. IT WOULD GIVE THE SECRETARY OF STATE A BETTER OF THE IMPACT OF THE LARGE NUMBER OF RECENT ARRIVALS. HE WOULD ALSO BE ABLE TO SEE FOR HIMSELF WHAT SORT OF PEOPLE THE NEW ARRIVALS ARE AND THE BOATS IN WHICH THEY COME TO HONG KONG.

FIFTEEN

INVOLVE A JOURNEY OF ABOUT 3. GETTING TO GREEN ISLAND WOULD MINUTES ON THE LAUNCH TIN HAU, INSTEAD OF A HELICOPTER TRIP. WE WOULD BE ABLE TO MAKE THE SAME SORT OF ARRANGEMENTS FOR PRESS COVERAGE ON GREEN ISLAND AS AT CHI MA WAN.

4. I SEE SOME ADVANTAGES IN THE ALTERNATIVE PLAN EVEN THOUGH THE PRIMATIVE CONDITIONS COULD ATTRACT ADVERSE PUBLICITY OVERSEAS

FACE. IN ADDITION TO SHOWING THE PROBLEMS WE

WILSON

YYYY

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