HUD 24318
нит
SECRET
SECRET
FM HONG KONG
TO PRIORITY FCO
TELNO 2233
OF 090838Z JUNE 88
INFO PRIORITY UKMIS GENEVA, WASHINGTON, HANOI
262
117313
MDLIAN 3871
Ads
DL
VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE : OUR TELNO 2194
REFUGEE COORDINATOR MET US DEPUTY CONSUL-GENERAL (KOBLER) CONSUL (ADAMS) AND REFUGEE OFFICER (WING/MURPHY) AS FORESHADOWED IN TUR
TODAY (9/6). AS THE MEETING FOLLOWED THE GOVERNOR'S BRIEFING OF
THE US CONSUL-GENERAL YESTERDAY, THE DISCUSSION FOCUSSED ON THE MECHANICS OF IMPLEMENTING THE NEW POLICY.
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2. FRENCH EXPLAINED HOW WE ENIVSAGED THE SCREENING AND APPEALS
MECHANISM OPERATING AND THE ARRANGEMENTS FOR ACCOMMODATING (PRE
AND POST-WATCHMAN) REFUGEES AND SCREENED OUT VIETNAMESE ILLEGAL IMMI GRANTS. KOBLER ASKED WHETHER WE FORESAW THE POSSIBILITY OF
RESETTLEMENT COUNTRIES OBSERVING THE SCREENING PROCESS IN ACTION. FRENCH SAID NO FIRM DECISION HAD YET BEEN TAKEN ON THIS, BUT HE COULD FORESEE THAT A SHARING OF INFORMATION WITH US AND OTHER RESETTLEMENT COUNTRY EXPERTS WOULD BE HELPFUL. HE ADDED THAT OUR
PRESENT THINKING WAS THAT REPRESENTATIONS REGARDING THE REFUGEE
STATUS OF A PARTICULAR VIETNAMESE ARRIVAL COULD BE MADE BY ANYONE
AT THE APPEALS STAGE.
3. FRENCH NOTED THAT OUR PROPOSED NEW POLICY APPEARED TO CONVERGE
(TO COIN A PHRASE) WITH WHAT AMBASSADOR MOORE HAD SAID IN WASHINGTON
ON 6 JUNE AND KOBLER CONFIRMED THAT THIS STATEMENT REPRESENTED THE
OFFICIAL US GOVERNMENT LINE. ASKED WHETHER THE US GOVERNMENT WOULD THEREFORE PUBLICLY SUPPORT HKG'S CHANGE OF POLICY, KOBLER WITHOUT COMMITMENT SAID HE THOUGHT THEY WOULD.
4. KOBLER ASKED WHAT INITIATIVES HMG PROPOSED IN SUPPORT OF THE NEW POLICY,
EITHER IN TERMS OF RESETTLEMENT OF LONG-STAYERS OR
DIPLOMATIC INITIATIVES TOWARDS VIETNAM. FRENCH MENTIONED THAT
SECRETARY OF STATE HAD RAISED THIS ISSUE WITH VIETNAMESE FOREIGN
MINISTER IN NEW YORK ON 7 JUNE (YOUR TELNO 138 TO HANOI) AND THAT
HMA HANOI WOULD BE BRIEFING THE VIETNAMESE AUTHORITIES ON OUR NEW
POLICY EARLY NEXT WEEK. HE SAID HE FELT SURE HMG WOULD CONTINUE TO KEEP UP THE PRESSURE. AS REGARDS RESETTLEMENT, HE SAID WE UNDERSTOOD
THE CONSTRAINTS HMG FACED ON THIS AND STRESSED THAT THE LONG-STAYER
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