TNAG-1795-FCO40-2555-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-refugees-repatriation--including-Opera-1988 — Page 246

CONFIDENTIAL

FM HONG KONG

TO IMMEDIATE FCO

TELNO 2843

OF 270715Z JULY 88

566

CONFIDENTIAL

HKD 243/8

TOP COPY Q DIST ?

110262

MDHIAN 8529

RE

27 JULA

IN..

L

AND TO IMMEDIATE HANOI

INFO IMMEDIATE SINGAPORE, MANILA, JAKARTA, BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN INFO IMMEDIATE WASHINGTON, CANBERRA, OTTAWA, TOKYO, PEKING INFO IMMEDIATE UKMIS GENEVA, KUALA LUMPUR, BANGKOK

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BOAT PEOPLE: TALKS IN HANOI: OUR TELNO 2793 AND 2794

1. MEDIA REPORTS OF REMARKS BY VIETNAMESE OFFICIALS ON THE COMING

TALKS SUGGEST THAT WE MAY HAVE TO DEAL WITH A VIETNAMESE PROPOSAL TO

SEND SOME KIND OF DELEGATION TO HONG KONG TO DISCUSS THE ISSUE.

ASSISTANT FOREIGN MINISTER BHU HONG PHUC TOLD A HONG KONG TV TEAM IN HANOI ON 25 JULY THAT VIETNAM WOULD BE READY TO SEND SUCH A DELEGATION QUOTE TO STUDY THE BOAT PEOPLE ISSUE UNQUOTE.

2. IN THE DRAFT DEFENSIVE POINTS FOR OUR BRIEF WE HAVE ALREADY

COVERED THE IDEA THAT THE VIETNAMESE SHOULD BE INVOLVED IN SCREENING. WE THINK THAT WE SHOULD REMAIN OPPOSED TO THAT. OUR CONCERNS

ABOUT DISCIPLINE IN THE CAMPS UNDER PRESENT CONDITIONS ENFORCE THIS VIEW.

3. WE SHOULD HOWEVER NOT NECESSARILY RULE OUT ALTOGETHER A VISIT BY VIETNAMESE TO HONG KONG AT SOME STAGE IF WE THOUGHT IF WOULD HELP

TO GET THINGS MOVING. BUT AS WE SEE IT THIS WOULD ONLY BE ACCEPTABLE

OF IT WERE A PART OF AN AGREED ARRANGEMENT FOR REPATRIATION. IT IS

JUST POSSIBLE FOR INSTANCE THAT THERE MIGHT BE A ROLE FOR VIETNAMESE

OFFICIALS IN EXPLAINING TO RETURNEES THAT THEY WOULD NOT BE SUBJECT TO PUNISHMENT.

4. WE WOULD OF COURSE NEED TO CONSIDER THE CHINA DIMENSION. THE PRC

WOULD PROBABLY BE SUSPICIOUS OF A VISIT BY VIETNAMESE OFFICIALS AND

OF WE THOUGHT IT NECESSARY FROM OUR POINT OF VIEW WE WOULD NEED TO

EXPLAIN THINGS TO THE CHINESE CAREFULLY.

5. AT NEXT WEEK'S TALKS THEREFORE, WE SUGGEST THAT, IF THE VIETNAMESE RAISE THIS POINT, WE SHOULD TAKE THE LINE THAT SUCH A VISIT COULD ONLY BE CONSIDERED AS PART OF A DEFINED PACKAGE FOR RESETTLEMENT AND, LIKE ALL OTHER PROPOSALS, WOULD BE SUBJECT TO CONFIRMATION.

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CONFIDENTIAL