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IT SHOULD TAKE. THE VIETNAMESE SIDE HAD DRAFTED AN AGREEMENT
ON THE PRINCIPLES. (HE DID NOT TABLE THIS).
(B) HOW WE SHOULD CONTINUE OUR WORK. TIME WAS SHORT AND HE SAID
THAT IF WE COULD AGREE ON BASIC PRINCIPLES WE COULD THEN
(C)
HAND OVER TO EXPERTS WITH SOME DEGREE OF URGENCY.
HE ASKED WHAT HE SHOULD SAY TO HONG KONG JOURNALISTS WHO HAD
BEEN PRESSING HIM FOR A STATEMENT.
THESE
11. CLIFT SAID HE WOULD COMMENT IN DETAIL THE NEXT DAY ON THE POINTS WHICH VU KHOAN HAD RAISED. HE MADE TWO POINTS. FIRSTLY WE WERE NOT SUGGESTING THAT ANY ARRANHEMENT WHICH BOTH SIDES REACHED WOULD APPLY TO ALL THOSE VIETNAMESE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS WHO HAD
ARRIVED SINCE 1975. THEERE WERE MANY IN HONG KONG WHO WERE CLASSIFIED AS REFUGEES AND WHO HAD ACCESS TO RESETTLEMENT. HAD ARRIVED BEFORE THE CHANGE OF POLICY ON 16 JUNE 1988. THE CHANGE OF POLICY PROVIDED MEANS OF IDENTIFYING THOSE WHO SHOULD BE RETURNED TO VIETNAM. THE HK AUTHORITIES WERE VERY CONFIDENCT OF THEIR ABILITY TO DECIDE WHO WERE ECONOMIC MIGRANTS AND WHO WERE REFUGEES. ANY AGREEMENT SHOULD COVER THOSE WHO HAD ARRIVED SINCE THE CHANGE OF POLICY. ON VOLUNTARY REPATRIATION, CLIFT SRESSED THE IMPORTANCE WHICH WE PLACED ON ACTNG IN ACCORDANCE WITH INTERNATIONAL PRACTICE IN DEALING WITH ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS.
HE EMPHASISED THAT WE COULD NOT SOLVE THE PROBLEM UNLESS IT WERE AGREED THAT ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS SHOULD BE RETURNED FROM WHENCE THEY
CAME.
12.
VU KHOAN'S THREE SPECIFIC POINTS, CLIFT SAID
(A) THAT IT WAS TOO EARLY TO CONSIDER THE FORM OF AGREEMENT (B) BEFORE THERE W COULD BE ANY QUESTION OF HANDNG OVER TO
EXPERTS,
THERE SHOULD BE SOME EXAMINATION OF PRACTICALITIES
(C)
IN PLENARY
ON THE PRESS, CLIFT SAID WE SHOULD ONLY SAY THAT BOTH SIDES HAD HAD PRELIMINARY EXCHANGES WHICH HAD BEEN HELPFUL IN SETTING THE SCENE, BUT SHOULD NOT COMMENT FURTHER ON THE CONTENT. OF THE TALKS. VU KHOAN ACCEPTED THIS.
PARTRIDGE
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