TNAG-1793-FCO40-2553-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-refugees-repatriation--including-Opera-1988 — Page 222

CONFIDENTIAL

275

121722

MDHIAN 2758

CONFIDENTIAL

FM WASHINGTON

TO IMMEDIATE FCO

TELNO 1465

OF 100128Z JUNE 88

HUD 243/8

TOP COPY

INFO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG,

INFO PRIORITY OTTAWA, CANBERRA, TOKYO, UKMIS GENEVA

FCO TELSNOS 959 AND 960: VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE: CHANGE OF

POLICY

SUMMARY

1.

STATE EXPRESS UNDERSTANDING OF THE NEW POLICY, BUT NO SPECI- FIC COMMITMENT TO SUPPORT IT PUBLICLY. THEY WILL DO THEIR BEST

TO PERSUADE VOA TO HELP. NO GIVE ON THE QUESTION OF US OFFTAKE

OF REFUGEES.

DETAIL

VERY

2. THE HEAD OF CHANCERY WENT THROUGH THE POINTS IN TUR WITH BLEAKLEY, DEPUTY ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR INTERNATIONAL REFUGEE ASSISTANCE IN THE BUREAU OF REFUGEE PROGRAMMES AT STATE ON WEDNES- DAY EVENING, 8 JUNE AND LEFT A COPY OF THE SPEAKING NOTE. 3. BLEAKLEY SAID THAT SOME OF THE POINTS WE HAD RAISED WERE MUCH IN LINE WITH THE THEME OF AMBASSADOR MOORE'S SPEECH TO

THE IRAC CONFERENCE (COPIED BY FAX TO HKD) AND WITH WHAT LAMBERTSON (DEPUTY ASSISTANT SECRETARY, EAST ASIAN AND PACIFIC AFFAIRS) HAD BEEN SAYING IN HIS RECENT CONTACTS WITH THE ASEANS. BLEAKLEY SAID THE US WOULD STUDY THE SPEAKING NOTES CAREFULLY TO SEE WHAT

FORMAL REACTION THEY COULD MAKE.

4

·

ON THE POSSIBLE USE OF VOICE OF AMERICA (VOA) TO INFORM THE VIETNAMESE OF HMG'S CHANGE IN POLICY, BLEAKLEY AGREED IT WAS IMPORTANT FOR THE VIETNAMESE TO HAVE ACCESS TO AS MUCH INFORMATION AS POSSIBLE ABOUT THE CIRCUMSTANCES THEY MIGHT MEET IF THEY

ATTEMPTED TO TRAVEL TO HONG KONG AFTER 16 JUNE. HE WOULD DO HIS BEST

TO PERSUADE VOA TO HELP WITH THIS THOUGH HE STRESSED THE

INDEPENDENCE OF VOA'S OPERATIONS

5.

BLEAKLEY REACTED PREDICTABLY TO THE REQUEST FOR AN IMPROVE- MENT IN THE US OFFTAKE OF REFUGEES FROM HONG KONG SAYING THAT THE

US (AND AUSTRALIA) LOOKED TO THE UK TO TAKE THE LEAD ON THIS.

THE HEAD OF CHANCERY WENT OVER THE GROUND IN DETAIL, AND EXPRESSED THE HOPE THAT THE ADMINISTRATION WOULD FIND IT POSSIBLE TO LOOK AT

THIS CAREFULLY AGAIN.

6.

ON THE NEW POLICY ITSELF, BLEAKLEY COMMENTED THAT THE DETEN-

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CONFIDENTIAL