TNAG-1795-FCO40-2555-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-refugees-repatriation--including-Opera-1988 — Page 14

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FM PEKING

TO PRIORITY FCO

TELNO 1392

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HKD 243/8

OF 1807437 AUGUST 880NG, UKMIS GENEVA, HANOI f

INFO PRIORITY HONG KONG, UKMIS GENEVA, HANOI

642

MY TELNO 1360: VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE

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(664

175425

MDLIAN 0721

GUO FENGMIN ASKED ME TO CALL ON HIM ON 18 AUGUST TO DISCUSS THE QUESTION OF VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE. HE HAD FOUR POINTS TO MAKE AS

FOLLOWS:

(A) THE CHINESE SIDE WERE GRATEFUL TO THE BRITISH SIDE FOR INFORMING THEM ABOUT THE MEASURES WHICH THE BRITISH SIDE ''WERE PREPARED TO ADOPT'' IN HONG KONG AND ABOUT THE EXCHANGE OF VIEWS THAT HAD TAKEN PLACE BETWEEN THE BRITISH AND VIETNAMESE GOVERNMENTS IN HANOI.

(B) THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT WISHED TO EXPRESS ITS SUPPORT FOR THE MEASURES WHICH THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT WAS PREPARED TO TAKE TO REPATRIATE VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE IN HONG KONG. WITH THIS IN MIND, RADIO PEKING WAS BOARDCASTING IN THE VIETNAMESE LANGUAGE NEWS OF OUR MEASURES. THE CHINESE AUTHORITIES WERE CONSIDERING HOW TO GIVE FURTHER SUCH SUPPORT THROUGH THE CHINESE MEDIA.

(C) AS FOREIGN MINISTER QIAN QICHEN HAD ALREADY TOLD ME, THE MEASURES WHICH THE BRITISH AND HONG KONG GOVERNMENTS WERE PREPARED TO TAKE WOULD NOT IN THEMSELVES SETTLE THE PROBLEM: IT WAS UP TO THE VIETNAMESE GOVERNMENT TO BRING ABOUT A COMPLETE SETTLEMENT. THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY SHOULD URGE THE VIETNAMESE GOVERNMENT TO ADOPT A MORE RESPONSIBLE ATTITUDE TOWARDS ITS PEOPLE AND INTERNATIONALLY. THE VIETNAMESE SHOULD TRY TO TAKE BACK ALL

REFUGEES.

(D) THE BRITISH SIDE HAD PROVIDED INFORMATION ON VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE STOPPING AT PORTS ALONG THE SOUTH CHINA COAST ON THEIR WAY TO HONG KONG, THE CHINESE AUTHORITIES HAD INVESTIGATED THIS AND GUO WISHED TO REITERATE THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT'S POSITION WHICH WAS THAT CHINA OFFERED NO SUPPORT OR ENCOURAGEMENT TO VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE MAKING THEIR WAY TO HONG KONG VIA PORTS ON THE SOUTH CHINA COAST. THE CENTRAL GOVERNMENT HAD ''ONCE AGAIN'' INSTRUCTED THEIR LOCAL AUTHORITIES TO ADOPT PRACTICAL MEASURES IN IMPLEMENTATION OF THE

CENTRAL GOVERNMENT'S POLICIES.

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