TNAG-1794-FCO40-2554-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-refugees-repatriation--including-Opera-1988 — Page 168

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FM BANGKOK

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TELNO 441

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AND TO PRIORITY HONG KONG, HANOI, KUALA LUMPUR, SINGAPORE AND TO PRIORITY MANIL, JAKARTA, BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN AND TO PRIORITY UKMIS GENEVA, WASHINGTON, CANBERRA AND TO PRIORITY OTTAWA, TOKYO

YOUR TELNO 1784 TO HONG KONG: BOAT PEOPLE.

VIETNAMESE REQUEST FOR TALKS ON

1. WE BELIEVE THE THAIS AND OTHER ASEAN MEMBER COUNTRIES ARE

LIKELY TO REACT POSITIVELY TO THIS INITIATIVE.

2.

THE ASEAN FOREIGN MINISTER, WHO MET HERE ON 4/5 JULY, HAVE REFERRED TO THE URGENCY OF SOLVING THE VIETNAMESE REFUGEE PROBLEM AT SOURCE, AND URGED THE GOVERNMENT OF VIETNAM TO QUOTE ACCEPT THE REPATRIATION OF ITS PEOPLE UNQUOTE. THE BILATERAL TALKS OFFERED BY VIETNAM (HANOI TELNO 244) WOULD THEREFORE SEEM ALMOST CERTAIN TO BE WELCOMED BY ASEAN.

3. AS FAR AS WE ARE AWARE THE VIETNAMESE HAVE NOT SO FAR APPROACHED THE THAIS (YOUR PARA (6), TUR).

ΤΟΝΚΙΝ

YYYY

DISTRIBUTION

128

ΜΑΙΝ

125

.VIETNAMESE REFUGEES IN HK

SPD

LIMITED

FED

HKD

NEWS

SEAD

UND

LEGAL ADVISERS

WED

SED

PS

PS/LORD GLENARTHUR

PS MR EGGAR

PS/PUS

MR GILLMORE

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