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CONFIDENTIAL
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MDLIAN 5014
CONFIDENTIAL
FM JAKARTA
TO PRIORITY FCO
TELNO 226
OF 140845Z JUNE 88
INFO PRIORITY HONG KONG
INFO ROUTINE KUALA LUMPUR, SINGAPRE, MANILA, BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN INFO ROUTINE BANGKOK, SINGAPORE
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282
YOUR TELNOS 132 AND 133 TO ATHENS AND 250 TO BANGKOK:
VIENAMESE BOAT PEOPLE IN HONG KONG: CHANGE OF POLICY
1.
HEAD OF CHANCERY TOOK ACTION WITH SULEMAN, ACTING DIRECTOR OF THE DEPARTMENT OF INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS AT DFA.
2.
SULEMAN SHOWED UNDERSTANDING FOR OUR CHANGE IN POLICY:
NEW OUTFLOWS OF REFUGEES FROM INDO-CHINA HAD ALSO BECOME
A MAJOR CONCERN FOR ASEAN COUNTRIES. THE ISSUE WOULD BE DISCUSSED AT THE ASEAN MINISTERIAL MEETING IN BANGKOK 4-5 JULY.
THE SPEAKING NOTE WHICH HOC LEFT WOULD BE CIRCULATED AT
DIRECTOR LEVEL WITH THE DFA AND INCLUDED IN THE POLITICAL DIRECTOR'S
BREIFING FOR BANGKOK. HE EXPRESSED SOME CURIOUSITY AS TO HOW WE EXPECTED TO PERSUADE THE VIETNAMESE TO ACCEPT THE RETURN OF
REFUGEES UNDER SUITABLE SAFEGUARDS. WE SAID THIS WAS SOMETHING
TO BE NEGOTIATED WHEN THE NEW POLICY WAS ANNOUNCED.
3.
SULEMAN ADDED THAT RECENT ARRIVALS OF A SMALL NUMBER OF CAMBODIAN BOAT PEOPLE (ABOUT 40) IN JAVA WAS CAUSING SOME CONCERN, LEST THIS PRESAGED A NEW WAVE OF REFUGEES.
4.
REACTIONS
IT WOULD BE HELPFUL TO HAVE AN ASSESSMENT OF
TO THE NEW POLICY AND ITS INITIAL IMPACT WHEN WE NEXT TOUCH
BASE WITH THE DFA AFTER THE ASEAN MINISTERIAL.
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