TNAG-1795-FCO40-2555-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-refugees-repatriation--including-Opera-1988 — Page 264

CONFIDENTIAL

FM HONG KONG

TO ROUTINE BANGKOK

TELNO 12

OF 25101OZ JULY 88

INFO ROUTINE FCO

CONFIDENTIAL

TOP COPY DIST

556

THKD 243/8.

OMS

103616

MDLIAN 4961

AMBASSADOR FROM POLITICAL ADVISER

(FCO FOR COLVIN SEAD AND PAUL HKD)

YOUR TELNO-6: HK EXTERNAL RELATIONS

SSI

1 I CAN REASSURE YOU THAT ALL OF US WHO ARE DEALING WITH THE PROBLEM OF BOAT PEOPLE HERE ARE FULLY AWARE OF THE VARIOUS

INTERNATIONAL DIMENSIONS INCLUDING THE RELATIONSHIP WITH ASEAN.

I UNDERSTAND IN PARTICULAR YOUR CONCERN ABOUT THE UK/THAI RELATIONSHIP, BUT THERE IS NO QUESTION OF OUR COLD-SHOULDERING THE EFFORTS OF THE ASEAN GROUP TO GET TOGETHER ON THE BOAT PEOPLE QUESTION, HENCE OUR PARTICIPATION AT SHORT NOTICE IN LAST WEEK'S MEETING. WE ARE GRATEFUL FOR ALL THE HELP YOU AND THE

EMBASSY GAVE OVER THAT.

2. AT THE SAME TIME I KNOW YOU UNDERSTAND OUR OWN PRESSING AND

SPECIAL PROBLEM ON THE GROUND HERE. IT IS ASSUMING VERY CRITICAL PROPORTIONS AS EACH DAY GOES BY. 13,991 BOAT PEOPLE HAVE ARRIVED SINCE JANUARY. 916 CAME OVER LAST WEEKEND. WE THEREFORE CANNOT

WAIT FOR A MULTI-LATERAL APPROACH TO GEL. (THIS IS OF COURSE NOT SIMPLY A MATTER OF HONG KONG'S LOCAL CONCERNS. MINISTERS HAVE RECOGNISED THE INTEREST OF HMG IN SOLVING THE PROBLEM QUICKLY. >

3. IT FOLLOWS THAT WE CANNOT BE PRECISELY IN STEP WITH ASEAN AT

ANY RATE ON TIMING. IN PARTICULAR WE ARE NOT DIRECTLY INVOLVED IN THE ARGUMENT WITHIN ASEAN ON WHETHER TO SCREEN OR NOT. IT

SEEMS CLEAR THEREFORE THAT THE BEST SERVICE WE CAN DO OURSELVES AND A SEAN COLLEAGUES IS FOR THE JOINT HMG/HKG TEAM IN HANOI ON 3/5

AUGUST TO PROBE THE POSSIBILITIES OF A SOLUTION BASED ON SCREENING

AND REPATRIATION. WE SHALL KEEP IN CLOSE TOUCH WITH THE THAIS

AND THE OTHER ASEANS ON THE PROGRESS OF OUR TALKS. IT MAY THEN

BE POSSIBLE TO JUDGE WHETHER A MULTI-LATERAL APPROACH CAN BE

DEVELOPED. BUT WE MUST KEEP OUR OWN CONTACTS WITH THE VIETNAMESE

GOING AND GET EARLY ACTION TO STOP THE FLOW OF BOAT PEOPLE AND

START REPATRIATION. I DO NOT THINK OUR AND ASEAN'S AIMS ARE

IMCOMPATIBLE.

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