TNAG-1795-FCO40-2555-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-refugees-repatriation--including-Opera-1988 — Page 144

CONFIDENTIAL

TOP COPY Q DIST ?

HKD 24318

RECEIVED

- 4 AUG 1988

614

135065 MDHIAN 9435

CONFIDENTIAL

FM HANOI

TO DESKBY 041200Z FCO

TELNO 283

OF 04110OZ AUGUST 88

AND TO DESKBY 04120OZ HONG KONG

TINE

PA

Lones

INFO PRIORITY BANGKOK, SINGAPORE, MANILA, JAKARTA

INFO PRIORITY BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, WASHINGTON, CANBERRA,.

INFO PRIORITY OTTAWA, TOKYO, PEKING, UKMIS GENEVA, KUALA LUMPUR

FROM CLIFT

VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE IN HONG KONG TALKS IN HANOI

1.

MIFT CONTAINS TEXT OF AGREED PRESS STATEMENT ISSUED AT

100OZ TODAY.

2.

WE DID NOT SUCCEED IN GETTING VIETNAMSE AGREEMENT TO A REFERNCE TO THE NEED FOR ALL ILLEGAL IMMIGRATNTS TO BE RETURNED ΤΟ VIETNAM. WE PRESSED THEM VERY STRONGLY ON THIS, MAKING CLEAR THAT WE COULD NOT ACCEPT ANY REFERENCE AT ALL TO THE POSSIBILITY OF FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE IF OUR OWN CENTRAL POINT WAS NOT MET. IN THE END WE AGREED TO LEAVE OUT BOTH POINTS.

3.

THERE WAS A POINT EARLIER ON AT WHICH IT LOOKED AS THOUGH WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO EDGE THE VIETNAMESE AWAY FROM THEIR INSISTANCE ON VOLUNTARY RETURN ONLY. THEY DID FOR INSTANCE EXPLICITLY ACCEPT THAT THE HONG KONG AUTHORITIES ALONE SHOULD DECIDE WHO WAS AN ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT. THEY ALSO SHOWED SOME READINESS TO EXPLORE THE IDEA OF POST-SCREENING CHECKING OF LISTS BY VIETNAM AND UNHCR, WHICH MIGHT HAVE PROVIDED A FACE-SAVING WAY OF GETTING THEM OFF THE HOOK OF VOLUNTARISM. BUT WHEN IT CAME TO THE POINT THEY BACK TRACKED STRONGLY. MOREOVER DURING A COURTESY CALL THIS AFTERNOON THE ACTING FOREIGN MINISTER ADOPTED A TOTALLY RIGID STAND SIMPLY REPEATING THAT ONLY VOLUNTARY RETURN COULD BE CONSIDERED. I MADE QUITE CLEAR THAT ANY PACKAGE WOULD FOR US HAVE TO COVER THE WHOLE RANGE OF SCREENED OUT VIIS. 4. THIS IS A PITY BUT NOT SURPRISING. THE VIETNAMESE PROBABLY HOPE TO COMPLETE THEIR ROUND OF TALKS WITH OURSELVES AND OTHERS IN ORDER TO ASSESS WHAT ADVANTAGE THEY CAN SWING /// CAN RING OUT OF THE REGIONAL COMMUNITY AS A WHOLE. IN ANY FOLLOW-UP WE SHALL NEED TO MAKE ABSOLUTELY CLEAR THAT PROGRESS WILL DEPEND ON A MORE IMAGINATIVE APPROACH. MEANWHILE THE TALKS HAVE ESTABLISHED CONTACT WITHOUT COMMITMENT ON OUR PART AND WE HAVE PASSED OVER A GREAT DEAL OF INFORMATION WHICH COULD PROVIDE THE

BAISIS FOR A PACKAGE IF THE VIETNAMESE ARE READY TO PLAY BALL.

1

PAGE CONFIDENTIAL