TNAG-1793-FCO40-2553-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-refugees-repatriation--including-Opera-1988 — Page 302

SECRET

FM FCO

TO DESKBY 07010OZ HONG KONG

TELNO 1451

OF 061735Z JUNE 88

AND TO IMMEDIATE UKMIS GENEVA

SECRET

*

TOD

236

HKD 293/8

105322

MDHOAN 7526

YOUR TELNOS 2158-9: VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE:

1.

OPERATION

WATCHMAN

WE APPRECIATE THAT YOU WILL ALREADY HAVE ISSUED THE EXCO

INFORMATION NOTE IN SECOND TUR. HOWEVER WE HAVE A NUMBER OF COMMENTS WHICH YOU MAY WISH TO REFLECT ORALLY WHEN EXCO CONSIDER THE PAPER.

2.

ON THE MAIN PAPER:

·

(A) PARA 9: UNHCR'S INITIAL COMMENTS, IN RESPONSE TO HEWITT'S DEMARCHE IN GENEVA, HAVE NOT BEEN HELPFUL. THEY MAY BE MORE RELUCTANT TO CO-OPERATE THAN THIS PARA IMPLIES. IT MIGHT BE

WORTH DRAWING THIS TO EXCO'S ATTENTION AS EVIDENCE THAT THE

POLICY CHANGE DOES RAISE DIFFICULTIES FOR OTHERS AND THAT THEIR SUPPORT CANNOT BE TAKEN FOR GRANTED. MORE GENERALLY, NO DOUBT YOU AND EXCO WILL BE AWARE OF THE DANGERS OF ANY PUBLIC STATEMENT

WHICH IMPUTES VIEWS (OR PRESUMED VIEWS) TO UNHCR.

3. ON ANNEX C TO THE PAPER, PARA 3 (A): WE APPRECIATE THE NEED TO SEND A MESSAGE THAT WILL DETER FRESH DEPARTURES. BUT WE THINK THAT A FORMULA WILL HAVE TO BE FOUND WHICH AT LEAST IMPLIES

A DISTINCTION BETWEEN THOSE WHO WILL BE SCREENED OUT (ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS) AND THOSE WHO WILL BE SCREENED IN (REFUGEES).

4.

ON ANNEX D TO THE PAPER:

(A) PARA 1(A) SECOND SENTENCE: AS WE UNDERSTAND

AS WE UNDERSTAND IT, AUSTRALIA, CANADA AND THE US HAVE BEEN GIVEN SOME ADVANCE HINTS OF LIKELY ACTION, IN MOST CASES IN DISCUSSIONS AT OFFICIAL LEVEL IN HONG KONG. BUT WE DO NOT THINK SUCH EXCHANGES HAVE TAKEN PLACE WITH

JAPAN:

·

(B) PARA 1 (A) FINAL SENTENCE: WE HAVE SERIOUS DOUBTS ABOUT THE WISDOM OF AN APPROACH TO UNHCR ON THIS QUESTION AT THIS TIME, PARTICULARLY GIVEN THEIR RESERVATIONS ABOUT THE NEW POLICY ITSELF. DESPITE THE PRESSURES, WHICH WE ACKNOWLEDGE, IN HONG KONG FOR ACTION ON THIS POINT WE THINK IT MIGHT BE BETTER ADDRESSED IN SLOWER TIME AS THE AREAS YOU WISH TO TRANSFER TO UNHCR FOR FUNDING, TOGETHER WITH THE TIMETABLE FOR THE TRANSFER, BECOME CLEARER:

(C) PARA 1(A) FOURTH SENTENCE: WE THINK QUOTE IN CO-OPERATION WITH UNHCR UNQUOTE IS OVERSTATING UNHCR'S INVOLVEMENT AS ENVISAGED. WE SUGGEST THIS SHOULD BE QUOTE UNDER UNHCR

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