TNAG-1795-FCO40-2555-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-refugees-repatriation--including-Opera-1988 — Page 15

CONFIDENTIAL

175425 MOLIAN 0721

2. GUO SAID THAT THE CHINESE AUTHORITIES WOULD CONTINUE TO PAY ATTENTION TO THIS PROBLEM. HOWEVER, THE SOUTH CHINA COASTLINE WAS

VERY LONG. SOME BOAT PEOPLE HAD ASKED FOR HELP AND LOCAL

AUTHORITIES COULD NOT FAIL TO PROVIDE A MEASURE OF HUMANITARIAN

ASSISTANCE TO THEM. THERE WAS ALSO A PROBLEM IN THAT SOME BOAT

PEOPLE STOPPING OFF AT CHINESE PORTS HAD MISLED THE LOCAL

AUTHORITIES ABOUT THEIR REAL INTENTIONS AND DESTINATION. THE LOCAL

AUTHORITIES HAD IN FACT TRIED TO PERSUADE SOME BOAT PEOPLE TO RETURN TO VIETNAM BUT, AFTER SAILING FROM CHINESE PORTS TOWARDS VIETNAM, THEY HAD CHANGED DIRECTION AND HEADED ONCE MORE FOR HONG KONG. GUO

THEREFORE HOPED THAT WE WOULD UNDERSTAND THE DIFFICULTIES WHICH THE CHINESE WERE FACING, AND REPEATED THAT THE CHINESE AUTHORITIES WOULD CONTINUE TO GIVE THIS MATTER THEIR ATTENTION. HE SAID THAT HE

LOOKED FORWARD TO CONTINUING COOPERATION IN FUTURE: WE HAD A COMMON

INTEREST IN ENSURING THAT THE SITUATION DID NOT DETERIORATE OR POSE

A LONG TERM BURDEN ON THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG.

3.

I THANKED GUO FOR THIS RESPONSE TO THE MANY CONVERSATIONS WHICH

WE HAD HAD WITH THE CHINESE AT VARIOUS LEVELS. I SAID THAT THE HONG

KONG AUTHORITIES WOULD BE GRATEFUL FOR THE CHINESE

AUTHORITIES' COOPERATIVE APPROACH AND WOULD APPRECIATE THE VALUE OF

THE RADIO MESSAGES BEING CARRIED BY RADIO PEKING. I ADDED THAT WE

WOULD GIVE THE MFA AN ACCOUNT OF ANY FURTHER TALKS WE HAD WITH THE

VIETNAMESE GOVERNMENT.

COMMENT

4. THIS WAS AS SATISFACTORY A RESPONSE TO THE VARIOUS DEMARCHES WE

HAVE MADE AS WE COULD HAVE EXPECTED. THE RECENT DECLINE IN THE NUMBERS OF BOAT PEOPLE ARRIVING IN HONG KONG MIGHT JUST BE A

REFLECTION OF THE CENTRAL GOVERNMENT'S REMINDER TO THE LOCAL AUTHORITIES NOT TO GIVE SUPPORT OR ASSISTANCE (THOUGH WEATHER CONDITIONS MIGHT ALSO BE WHOLLY OR PARTIALLY THE CAUSE). AT ANY RATE, CHINESE AGREEMENT TO CARRY MESSAGES ON THEIR VIETNAMESE RADIO SERVICE IS A DEMONSTRATION OF THEIR WILLINGNESS TO BACK UP THEIR PROFESSED SUPPORT FOR OUR POLICY WITH PRACTICAL ASSISTANCE, INSTRUCTIONS HAVE BEEN SENT TO THE LOCAL AUTHORITIES.

DONALD

AND

YYYY

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