SECRET
FM HONG KONG
TO DESKBY 07090OZ FCO
TELNO 2191
OF 070722Z JUNE 88
SECRET
224
106574 MDHIAN 2245
HKD 243 8
TOP
1486:
YOUR TELNOS 1449 AND 1450: VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE: OPERATION WATCHMAN
1.
YOU ARE RIGHT IN POINTING OUT THAT THE FIGURE OF 15,542 REFERS
TO A WIDER GROUP OF PEOPLE THAN THOSE WHO ARRIVED BY BOAT.
NEVERTHELESS THE POINT ABOUT LOCAL RESETTLEMENT IS WORTH MAKING. POINT (A) OF THE SPEAKING NOTE COULD BE REVISED AS FOLLOWS: (QUOTE) SINCE 1975 HONG KONG HAS GIVEN TEMPORARY ASYLUM TO NEARLY 120,000
BOAT PEOPLE. NONE HAS EVER BEEN TURNED AWAY. CONTINUING PROGRAMME
OF LOCAL RESETTLEMENT: SINCE 1975 HONG KONG HAS ITSELF RESETTLED LOCALLY SOME 15,000 INDOCHINESE REFUGEES AND DISPLACED PERSONS (UNQUOTE). THE QUESTION OF WHO PAYS WHAT IS AN IMPORTANT PART OF LOCAL FEELING ON THIS ISSUE. OUR PROPOSED REFERENCE IS ENTIRELY
IN THE CONTEXT OF LOCAL OPINION. TO GIVE AN ACCURATE PICTURE OF THE
LOCAL POLITICAL PICTURE IT SHOULD BE RETAINED. IT COULD BE PREFACED
BY AN ADDITIONAL FACTOR IS LOCAL CONCERN
(CONTINE AS IN (D)
OF MY TELNO 2181).
2.
APART FROM THESE POINTS, WE HAVE FOLLOWING MINOR COMMENTS ON
THE DRAFT SPEAKING NOTE IN SECOND TUR:
3.
(A) PARA 1 (G). UNHCR WILL (WILL) BE INVOLVED IN APPEALS IF THEY WISH TO BE. (QUOTE) MAY (UNQUOTE) SOUNDS AMBIGUOUS. THIS
IS AN IMPORTANT SELLING POINT. THE LAST SIX WORDS COULD BE
REPLACED BY (QUOTE)
AND WILL HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE
INVOLVED IN APPEALS (UNQUOTE).
...
CLOSED CENTRES
(B) PARA 1 (I) SUGGEST REPLACING LAST SENTENCE BY THE FOLLOWING: (QUOTE) THEY WILL BE ACCOMMODATED IN RUN ON SIMILAR LINES TO EXISTING CLOSED CENTRES FOR REFUGEES
(UNQUOTE).
I NOTE YOUR DEFENSIVE POINT. WE ARE REPORTING SEPARATELY THE
LATEST AMERICAN THINKING AS GIVEN BY THE CONSULATE GENERAL. YOU MAY
WISH TO ADD TO THE INSTRUCTIONS TO WASHINGTON TO TAKE ACCOUNT OF
THEIR REMARKS.
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.