TNAG-1793-FCO40-2553-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-refugees-repatriation--including-Opera-1988 — Page 73

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FM FCO

TO PRIORITY HANOI

TELNO 147

OF 161615Z JUNE 88

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HUD 243/8 ниу

CIUN 1988

144550 MDLOAN 257T

INFO PRIORITY HONG KONG

INFO ROUTINE BANGKOK, JAKARTA, KUALA LUMPUR, SINGAPORE, PEKING

VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE: CHANGE OF POLICY

1.

2.

DAVID GILLMORE SUMMONED THE VIETNAMESE AMBASSADOR ON 15 JUNE. GILLMORE EXPLAINED THE NEW POLICY AND URGED THE VIETNAMESE TO INCREASE EFFORTS TO STEM THE FLOW OF UNCONTROLLED DEPARTURES, ACCEPT THE REPATRIATION OF NON-REFUGEES, GIVE ASSURANCES OF HUMANE TREATMENT OF THOSE RETURNING AND CO-OPERATE BY PUBLICISING THE CHANGE OF POLICY IN VIETNAM. HE WELCOMED CO TACH'S

RETURN OF WILLINGNESS TO CONSIDER ARRANGEMENTS INVOLVING THE

CFCO TELNO 138 TO HANOI). IN REPLY, NON-REFUGEES

TRAN VAN HUNG STRESSED THE DIFFICULTY OF CONTROLLING A 3000 KILOMETRE COASTLINE AND VIETNAM'S SEVERE ECONOMIC PROBLEMS FOLLOWING A LONG AND DESTRUCTIVE WAR. VIETNAM WANTED TO CO-OPERATE IN SOLVING THE REFUGEE PROBLEM AND HOPED FOR ASSISTANCE FROM QUOTE FRIENDLY COUNTRIES UNQUOTE IN DOING SO. HE WOULD COMMUNICATE WHAT GILLMORE HAD SAID AND HOPED FOR SOME SOLUTION.

·

HE HOPED FOR HUNG SAID THAT VIETNAM

3. GILLMORE SAID THAT URGENT ACTION WAS ALSO NEEDED OVER CAMBODIA WHICH WAS NOT SIMPLY AN INTERNAL MATTER.

· PROGRESS AT THE JAKARTA INFORMAL MEETING. WAS DETERMINED TO WITHDRAW FROM CAMBODIA AS SOON AS POSSIBLE BUT NEEDED TO SAFEGUARD ITS SECURITY IT DID NOT WANT THE RETURN OF REGIONAL INSTABILITY, WHETHER IN THE SHAPE OF THE POL POT CLIQUE OR THE ACTIVITIES OF A QUOTE FOREIGN NEIGHBOUR IN THE NORTH UNQUOTE. THE VIETNAMESE DEFENCE MINISTER HAD JUST ANNOUNCED THE

HALF WITHDRAWAL OF THE VIETNAMESE CENTRAL COMMAND IN THE SECOND OF JUNE. HE ASKED ABOUT A POSSIBLE BRITISH ROLE IN SOLVING THE CAMBODIAN QUESTION. GILLMORE SAID THAT THE UK WAS READY TO MAKE A CONSTRUCTIVE CONTRIBUTION. BUT THE RECONVENING OF THE L954 GENEVA CONFERENCE, IF IT TOOK PLACE, WOULD BE AT THE END OF THE PEACE PROCESS, NOT THE BEGINNING. COMMENT

4.

PARTICULARLY ON HIS

TRAN VAN HUNG WAS NOT WELL-BRIEFED, FOREIGN MINISTER'S MEETING WITH THE SECRETARY OF STATE IN NEW YORK. APART FROM ONE OR TWO DEBATING POINTS (LONG WAR, NO WESTERN ASSISTANCE), HE DID NOT CONTEST THAT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE REFUGEES WAS IN LARGE MEASURE VIETNAM'S AND HE REFERRED

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