TNAG-1793-FCO40-2553-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-refugees-repatriation--including-Opera-1988 — Page 64

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FM WASHINGTON

TO IMMEDIATE FCO

TELNO 1557

OF 202318Z JUNE 88

INFO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG, UKMIS GENEVA

323

FCO TELNO 1570 AND OUR TELNO 1512:

VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE

1. STATE DEPARTMENT ISSUED THEIR PRESS GUIDANCE ON FRIDAY 17

JUNE. THE ONLY CHANGE TO THE TEXT IN OUR TUR WAS IN THE FINAL

PARAGRAPH WHICH NOW READS AS FOLLOWS:

BEGINS

IN VIEW OF THESE FIRM. ASSURANCES THAT THE NEW POLICY WILL BE IMPLEMENTED IN A REASONABLE AND RESPONSIBLE MANNER, THE UNITED STATES UNDERSTANDS THE ACTION WHICH THE BRITISH AND HONG KONG

AUTHORITIES HAVE CONCLUDED THEY MUST TAKE IN ORDER TO PRESERVE

FIRST ASYLUM FOR REFUGEES.

WE WOULD EXPECT THAT THE SCREENING PROGRAM WOULD APPLY UNHCR'S

CURRENT CRITERIA FOR DETERMINATION OF REFUGEE STATUS FOR

VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE AND THAT THE VIETNAMESE WOULD BE INFORMED

OF THEIR RIGHT TO SEEK REFUGEE STATUS. WE WOULD BE PREPARED TO

SUPPORT THE ACTION OF THE BRITISH AND HONG KONG AUTHORITIES IN THAT CASE.

ENDS

2. THE HEAD OF CHANCERY SPOKE TO BLEAKELEY, DEPUTY ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR INTERNATIONAL REFUGEE ASSISTANCE IN THE BUREAU OF REFUGEE PROGRAMS ON MONDAY AFTERNOON, 20 JUNE, AND EXPRESSED OUR DISAPPOINTMENT THAT NONE OF OUR SUGGESTED AMENDMENTS HAD BEEN

INCORPORATED INTO THE TEXT. BLEAKELEY MAINTAINED THAT THE WAY IN

WHICH STATE HAD CHOSEN TO PRESENT THE NEW POLICY REFLECTED THE

PRIORITIES THE US ADMINISTRATION ATTACHED TO REFUGEE ISSUES AND

IMPLIED THAT IT WOULD ALSO HELP TO MINIMISE ANY POSSIBLE ADVERSE PUBLIC REACTION HERE. ON THE OTHER HAND, THEY HAD SPOKEN TO VOICE OF AMERICA (VOA) AND WHILE VOA WAS AN INDEPENDENT ORGANI- SATION, STATE BELIEVED THAT VOA INTENDED TO PAY PARTICULAR ATTENTION TO THE WAY THE NEW POLICY HAD BEEN ANNOUNCED IN HONG

KONG WITH PARTICULAR REFERENCE TO REPATRIATION.

COMMENT

3. THE PRESS GUIDANCE WAS NOT AS FIRM AS WE HAD WISHED, AND STATE HAVE CLEARLY BEEN LESS HELPFUL THAN WE HAD HOPED. ON THE OTHER HAND, IT IS TRUE THAT THERE HAS BEEN LITTLE MEDIA INTEREST IN THE US IN THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE NEW POLICY AND THIS MAY BE JUST AS WELL. THE LINE VOA TAKES WILL BE MORE IMPORTANT.

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