TNAG-1794-FCO40-2554-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-refugees-repatriation--including-Opera-1988 — Page 171

CONFIDENTIAL

FM HANOI

TO DESKBY 060800Z FCO

TELNO 250

OF 06023OZ JULY 88

AND TO DESKBY 06080OZ HONG

CONFIDENTIAL

HKD 243/8

Bi

453

025574

MDHIAN 6129

TOP COPY Q DIST ?

KONG

INFO IMMEDIATE BANGKOK, KUALA LUMPUR, SINGAPORE, BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN INFO IMMEDIATE CANBERRA, OTTAWA, TOKYO, JAKARTA, MANILA, WASHINGTON INFO IMMEDIATE UKMIS GENEVA

MY TELNO 244 OF 5 JULY:

VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE

1. I HAVE NOW HAD CHANCE TO SPEAK TO MRS NGA OF EUROPE II MFA AND MR BAZOCHE OF UNHCR. THAILAND, MALAYSIA, HONG KONG AND UNHCR HAVE NOW ALL BEEN INVITED TO SEND DELEGATIONS SEPARATELY TO DISCUSS RETURN OF REFUGEES. ACCORDING TO NGA, INDONESIA AND POSSIBLY THE PHILIPPINES MIGHT BE INVITED AT A LATER STAGE.

2. ACCORDING TO NGA, VIETNAM NOW WISHES TO IMPROVE RELATIONS WITH NEIGHBOURING COUNTRIES AND HAS DECIDED TO NEGOTIATE RETURN OF REFUGEES. VIETNAM IS OF COURSE FACING EXTREME ECONOMIC HARDSHIP

AND WILL NOT BE ABLE TO ACCEPT ALL AT ONCE. NGA SAID THAT VIETNAM

HAD IT IN MIND TO START WITH A SMALL GROUP FROM ONE COUNTRY FOLLOWED BY A SIMILAR GROUP FROM ANOTHER ETC. SOME KIND OF

ECONOMIC ASSISTANCE WILL BE NEEDED TO HELP THE RETURNEES REESTABLISH THEIR LIVES HERE.

3. BAZOCHE WHO WAS BRIEFED BY ASSISTANT FOREIGN MINISTER, VU KHOAN, TOLD ME THAT THE LATTER STRESSED THAT RETURNS MUST BE ON A VOLUNTARY BASIS. THACH HAS SENT A LETTER TO UN SECRETARY GENERAL VIA RAFEEUDIN AHMED SAYING ALL OF ABOVE.

4. IN REPLY TO A QUESTION NGA SAID THAT RETURNEES WOULD NOT BE VICTIMIZED AND FACT THAT THEY MIGHT HAVE TECHNICALLY BROKEN

THE LAW WOULD BE IGNORED. DURING HIS TALKS HERE AHMED APPARENTLY

RAISED THE SAME POINT SAYING THAT ''INTRUSIVE VERIFICATION MEASURES''

WOULD BE NEEDED TO MONITOR BOTH THIS AND RESULTS OF ECONOMIC

ASSISTANCE. ACCORDING TO BAZOCHE THE VIETNAMESE MADE ENCOURAGING NOISES.

5. YOUR TELNO 1784 OF 5 JULY JUST RECEIVED.

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