TNAG-1794-FCO40-2554-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-refugees-repatriation--including-Opera-1988 — Page 282

CONFIDENTIAL

CONFIDENTIAL

FM FCO

TO PRIORITY BANGKOK

TELNO 146

OF 12120OZ APRIL 88

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

067541

MDLOAN 4650

INDO-CHINESE REFUGEES: ICG MEETING

1.

2.

FCO TELNO 143

CORRECTION. PARAGRAPH 7 OF TUR SHOULD READ AS FOLLOWS:

7.

COMMENT.

·

THE UNHCR

FOR

DESPITE THE ACRIMONY THIS WAS A USEFUL MEETING. HAS AT LAST OUTLINED PROPOSALS ON AN AID PACKAGE VIETNAM AND THE WAY IS NOW OPEN FOR THEM TO SOUND OUT THE VIETNAMESE. THERE WAS AGREEMENT ON THE NEED TO STEP UP PRESSURE ON VIETNAM THROUGH DIALOGUE, ALTHOUGH THIS WILL CONTINUE TO BE ON A BILATERAL BASIS FOR THE TIME BEING.

THERE WAS ALSO AGREEMENT THAT ASEAN SHOULD BE URGED TO DO

MORE IN THIS DIRECTION. THE NEWS OF A POSSIBLE JOINT ASEAN APPROACH (KUALA LUMPUR TELNO 3 TO OTTAWA OF 7 APRIL, NOT TO ALL) WAS NOTED WITH INTEREST. FINALLY, FACED WITH

THE CONTINUING OUTFLOW OF MIGRANTS THE AGREEMENT TO

TOLERATE A TOUGHER APPROACH FOR THOSE WHO DO NOT MEET

REFUGEE CRITERIA, INDICATES AN INCREASED WILLINGNESS BY

ICG MEMBERS TO CONSIDER FURTHER PRACTICAL RESPONSES TO

CHANGING CIRCUMSTANCES.

ERROR REGRETTED.

HOWE

YYYY

ΜΑΙΝ

68

LIMITED

SEAD

HKD

DISTRIBUTION

72

NEWS DEPARTMENT

PS/LORD GLENARTHUR

PS/MR EGGAR

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CONFIDENTIAL