TNAG-1794-FCO40-2554-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-refugees-repatriation--including-Opera-1988 — Page 248

CONFIDENTIAL

(422)

005764

MDLIAN 8844

CONFIDENTIAL

FM LISBON

TO PRIORITY FCO

TELNO 162

OF 291050Z JUNE 88

383

HKD 24318

Y

OJUT 1988

TOP COPY Q DIST 7

OUR TELNO 159. VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE

1. HEAD OF CHANCERY CALLED ON CARLOS GASPAR, PRESIDENCY ADVISER ON ASIAN AFFAIRS, YESTERDAY. HE LEFT A SPEAKING NOTE ON THE LINES OF YOUR TELNO 133 TO ATHENS AND DREW ALSO ON TELNO 143 TO THE HAGUE

(NOT ORIGINALLY COPIED TO US).

2. GASPAR EXPRESSED UNDERSTANDING FOR THE UK'S CHANGE OF POLICY. THE

SITUATION IN HONG KONG HAD OBVIOUSLY BECOME INTOLERABLE. OUR DECISION WAS 'COURAGEOUS'. GASPAR UNDERTOOK TO INFORM BOTH THE

PRESIDENT AND THE MACAU AUTHORITIES OF HEAD OF CHANCERY'S CALL. HE WAS SURE THAT THE PRESIDENT WOULD INSTRUCT THE AUTHORITIES IN MACAU TO INFORM VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE THAT ECONOMIC MIGRANTS WOULD BE TREATED ON ARRIVAL IN HONG KONG AS ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS WITH NO CHANCE OF RESETTLEMENT. GASPAR DID NOT, HOWEVER, THINK THAT MACAU WOULD BE IN POSITION TO HELP WITH RESETTLEMENT. THE CURRENT FLOW OF IMMGRANTS FROM CHINA WAS AS MUCH AS MACAU COULD ABSORB, MOREOVER, VIETNAMESE REFUGEES HAD RARELY SHOWN ANY INTEREST IN SETTLING IN MACAU.

SIMPSON-ORLEBAR

YYYY

ΜΑΙΝ

57

DISTRIBUTION

57

LIMITED

HKD

SEAD

UND

NEWS DEPT

LEGAL ADVISERS

PS

PS/MR CHALKER

PS/LORD GLENARTHUR PS/PUS

MR GILLMORE

MR MCLAREN

N N N N