CONFIDENTIAL
030025
MDLIAN 0674
/
LOCAL CHINESE AUTHORITIES NOT TO PROVIDE ASSISTANCE. AS FOR ASKING
BOAT MASTERS TO TAKE ON PEOPLE WHO HAD COME IN PREVIOUSLY THE LOCAL AUTHORITIES FACED VERY SERIOUS PROBLEMS IN LOOKING AFTER LARGE NUMBERS OF BOAT PEOPLE, WHO MIGHT EVEN COME TO BE REGARDED AS SETTLED IN CHINA.
4. CLIFT SAID THAT WE WERE OF COURSE WORKING ON THE QUESTION OF REPATRIATION, BUT THIS WOULD TAKE TIME. MEANWHILE THE ROLE OF THE AUTHORITIES IN SOUTH CHINA WAS OF CRUCIAL IMPORTANCE BECAUSE THEY
WERE THE BOAT PEOPLE'S FIRST CONTACT AFTER LEAVING VIETNAM. NO ONE PRETENDED THIS WAS AN EASY MATTER FOR THE CHINA COAST PORTS:
BUT WE KNEW THE CHINESE AUTHORITIES REGARDED THE PROBLEMS FOR HONG KONG AS VERY SERIOUS. WE HAD TO WORK TOGETHER TO PREVENT THE
NUMBERS HERE RISING TO AN IMPOSSIBLE LEVEL BY THE END OF THE YEAR.
HE UNDERTOOK TO PROVIDE JI WITH COPIES OF LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION
FOR BOAT PEOPLE SENT FROM ONE CHINESE PORT TO ANOTHER.
5. I THINK IT WOULD BE VERY HELPFUL IF HMA PEKING COULD HIMSELF FOLLOW UP LORD GLENARTHUR'S DISCUSSIONS WITH A SIMILAR SURVEY OF
THE POSITION WITH THE MFA AS SUGGESTED IN PARA 3 OF 2ND TUR. A
DRAFT SPEAKING NOTE FOR HIS USE, TOGETHER WITH THE TEXTS OF THE WARNING NOTICE AND MAIL INSERT, ARE IN MY 2 MIFTS.
WILSON
YYYY
ΜΑΙΝ
125
.VIETNAMESE REFUGEES IN HK
LIMITED
HKD
SEAD
UND
LEGAL ADVISERS
WED
SED
PUSD
E CD (I)
E CD
(E)
DISTRIBUTION
128
SPD
FED
NEWS
PS
PS/LORD GLENARTHUR
PS MR EGGAR
PS/PUS
MR GILLMORE
MR SLATER
MR MCLAREN
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