TNAG-1793-FCO40-2553-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-refugees-repatriation--including-Opera-1988 — Page 80

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HUD 243/8 ния

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146247

MDHIAN 3842

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FM HONG KONG

TO IMMEDIATE FCO

TELNO 2332

OF 171210Z JUNE 88

INFO PRIORITY HKGOS NEW YORK, WASHINGTON, BRUSSELS, GENEVA

·

INFO SAVING SAN FRANCISCO

NEW POLICY ON VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE INITIAL MEDIA COVERAGE AND

COMMENTS

SUMMARY

THE ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE GOVERNMENT OF THE CHANGE OF POLICY RECIEVED

EXTENSIVE COVERAGE IN THE ELECTRONIC AND PRINT MEDIA. FIRST

REACTION LOCALLY HAS BEEN OVERWHELMINGLY

SOME DOUBTS AS TO WHETHER

DETERRING VIETNAMESE FROM ADOPTED A NEGATIVE STANCE, THOUGH THE UNHCR ISSUED A STATEMENT SUPPORTING THE SCREENING IN PRINCIPEL WHILE EXPRESSING RESERVATION

IN THE TIMING.

SUPPORTIVE TEMPERED WITH

THE NEW SYSTEM WOULD BE EFFECTIVE IN

COMING. INEVITABLY VOLUNTARY AGENCIES

COVERAGE

2. THE ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE CHIEF SECRETARY IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

OF THE NEW POLICY ON VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE WAS GIVEN ACROSS THE

BOARD NEWS AND PICTORIAL COVERAGE IN THE ELECTRONIC AND PRINT MEDIA.

THE CHIEF SECRETARY'S REMARKS ON WHY THE NEW POLICY WAS NECESSARY

WERE RECORDED IN DETAIL. GOOD COVERAGE WAS ALSO GIVEN BY ALL MEDIA

TO THE REMARKS BY THE GOVERNOR IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE LEGISLATIVE

COUNCIL MEETING. THE REMARKS BY THE FOREIGN SECRETARY IN THE HOUSE

OF COMMONS WERE REPORTED ON RADIO I AND III AND ONE TV STATION ON

THE MORNING OF 16TH HONG KONG TIME. SOME COVERAGE WAS ALSO GIVEN TO THE MESSAGE SIR GEOFFREY SENT TO SENIOR EXECUTIVE COUNCIL MEMBER, SIR S.Y. CHUNG. HMA TO VIETNAM WHO ARRIVED IN HONG KONG ON THE MORNING OF 16TH JUNE WAS ALSO QUATED BY THE ELECTRONIC MEDIA IN THEIR MID-DAY

NEWS CAST THAT DAY AND BY THE PRINT MEDIA THE FOLLOWING DAY. THE CONVENOR OF THE LEGCO AD HOC GROUP, RITA FAN, WAS QUOTED AS WELCOMING THE POLICY AND BELIEVING THAT IT COULD BE AN EFFECTIVE

DETERRENT. SHE WAS ALSO QUOTED AS SAYING THAT HER GROUP WOULD

CONTINUE TO URGE BRITIAN TO INCREASE ITS

EXAMPLE FOR OTHER WESTERN COUNTRIES. MRS

RAISE THE ISSUE WITH LORD GLENARTHUR.

INTAKE SO AS TO SET A GOOD

FAN SAID THE GROUP WOULD

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