CONFIDENTIAL
FM KUALA LUMPUR
TO PRIORITY FCO
HUD 243/8
329
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137032
MDLIAN 5345
TOP COPY Q DIST ?
TELNO 274
OF 150745Z JUNE 88
INFO PRIORITY HONG KONG,
INFO ROUTINE SINGAPORE
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, BANGKOK, MANILA, JAKARTA
(286)
Бы
Y OUR TELNOS 132 AND 133 TO ATHÉNS AND 250 TO BANGKOK: VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE IN HONG KONG, CHANGE OF POLICY
1. HEAD OF CHANCERY TOOK ACTION ON 14 JUNE WITH PLANNING DIVISION
OF THE MFA, LEAVING A SPEAKING NOTE.
2. THE MALAYSIANS WERE VERY INTERESTED IN OUR CHANGE OF POLICY
WHICH HAS DIRECT IMPLICATIONS FOR THE DECISIONS THEY MUST TAKE
SOON ON HOW TO TACKLE THEIR OWN PROBLEM: (SNIOR OFFICIALS MEET ON 17 JUNE, AND HOPE TO PUT A PAPER TO CABINET NEXT WEEK). 3. BROADLY, THE MALAYSIAN PROBLEM IS THIS
A) TOTAL CAMP POPULATION, AT 13,279 ON 31 MAY, IS UP FROM
7,269 LAST SEPTEMBER, AND RISING FAST.
B) THE MALAYSIANS HAVE ANNOUNCED THAT PULAU BIDONG (THE MAIN
CAMP, WITH A CURRENT POPULATION OF OVER 9,000) IS TO CLOSE. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT, HOWEVER, WAS MADE, FOR POLITICAL REASONS,
BEFORE DECISIONS HAD BEEN TAKEN ON HOW TO ACHIEVE THE
OBJECTIVE.
C) THE MALAYSIANS WELL UNDERSTAND WHY WE ARE CHANGING OUR POLICY
IN HONG KONG. THEY WOULD LIKE TO FOLLOW SUIT, BUT THEY ARE WORRIED BY THE PRACTICAL AND FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS OF DOING
SO. IN PRACTICAL TERMS NO MALAYSIAN STATE HAS YET OFFERED A
SITE FOR A NEW ''TEMPORARY CAMP '' NOT LEAST BECAUSE THEY DOUBT HOW TEMPORARY IT WOULD BE. IN FINANCIAL TERMS UNHCR, (WHO FUND THE ENTIRE VIETNAMESE REFUGEE PROGRAMME IN
MALAYSIA AT PRESENT) WOULD ACCEPT NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR ECONOMIC MIGRANTS BEING HELD IN MALAYSIA PENDING RETURN TO VIETNAM. THE COST OF CHANGE OF POLICY COULD THEREFORE BE
VERY HIGH FOR MALAYSIA AND MIGHT CONTINUE FOR YEARS.
D) OF THE OTHER POSSIBILITIES OPEN TO THEM MALAYSIA IS MOST
RELUCTANT TO PUSH BOATS AWAY, AND THE NAVY HAVE APPARENTLY SAID AT SENIOR LEVELS THAT THEY WOULD REFUSE TO COOPERATE
IN SUCH A POLICY. THE IDEA OF A SINGLE HOLDING CENTRE TO
WHICH ALL ASEAN COUNTRIES COULD SEND VIETNAMESE REFUGEES
IS SAID TO HAVE BEEN DISCUSSED AT THE MANILA SUMMIT LAST AUTUMN BUT CAME TO NOTHING AS NO MEMBER OF ASEAN WAS PREPARED
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