TNAG-1795-FCO40-2555-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-refugees-repatriation--including-Opera-1988 — Page 311

CONFIDENTIAL

FM HONG KONG

TO PRIORITY FCO

TELNO 2791

OF 210845Z JULY 88

AND TO PRIORITY

HANOI

нко

RE

INL.

CONFIDENTIAL

24318

;!

541

075241

MDLIAN 4278

27 JUL 1988

TOP COPY

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

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HANOI TELNO 269 VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE IN HONG KONG : STRATEGY

FOR TALKS IN HANOI

1. WE LEAVE IT TO YOU TO COMMENT ON HANOI'S ASSESSMENT THAT THE

VIETNAMESE HAVE UNDERGONE A MAJOR CHANGE OF HEART. SEEN FROM HERE,

IT MUST BE TRUE THAT THE VIETNAMESE SEE THE BOAT PEOPLE

PROBLEM IN THE CONTEXT OF THEIR OVERALL FOREIGN POLICY OBJECTIVES

AND THAT AT LEAST ONE OF THEIR MOTIVES MUST BE TO HELP IN ENDING

THEIR INTERNATIONAL ISOLATION. WHAT WE CANNOT TELL YET IS HOW FAR

THIS WILL SMOOTH OUR PRACTICAL DISCUSSION IN HANOI AND HOW FAR

THE VIETNAMESE WILL SEEK TO EXTRACT CONCESSIONS FROM US. ON THE FACE

OF IT IT WOULD BE VERY SURPRISING IF THEY DID NOT TRY TO STRIKE A HARD BARGAIN, INCLUDING AS MUCH FINANCIAL BENEFIT AS THEY COULD GET IF AS HANOI SUGGEST THEY ARE READY TO ACCEPT THAT AID PEGGED

TO THE RETURN OF REFUGEES SHOULD BE KEPT COMPLETELY SEPARATE FROM ANY WIDER PACKAGE THAT WOULD BE A CONSIDERABLE HELP, BUT WE MUST BE READY TO COUNTER ANY ATTEMPT TO MAKE SUCH A LINK.

•

2. MEANWHILE THERE HAVE BEEN REPORTS IN THE PRESS, DATELINED 19 JULY FROM BANGKOK, QUOTING VIETNAMESE EMBASSY OFFICIALS TO THE EFFECT THAT HANOI IS LOOKING FORWARD TO TALKS WITH HMG/HKG. MIFT CONTAINS

AN EXTRACT FROM THE REPORT ON THIS FROM THE SCMP OF 20 JULY. IF

RELIABLE THIS SUGGESTS THE VIETNAMESE WILL TRY TO GET INVOLVED IN THE SCREENING PROCESS, EITHER BY VETTING OUR LIST OF SCREENED OUT

BOAT PEOPLE OR BY SOME KIND OF JOINT OPERATION.

3. ANY FORM OF CO-OPERATION WITH THE VIETNAMESE ON SCREENING AS

SUCH WOULD OF COURSE CAUSE US GREAT DIFFICULTIES. WE COULD CERTAINLY NOT AGREE TO THEIR OFFICIALS Y OMING HERE TO TAKE PART IN SCREENING. OBVIOUSLY OUR MAIN OBJECTIVE MUST BE TO TRY TO GET THE VIETNAMESE TO ACCEPT OUR PROCESS OF SCREENING OUT. WE RECOGNISE NEVERTHELESS THAT THERE WILL PROBABLY HAVE TO BE SOME ARRANGEMENT FOR THE VIETNAMESE TO CHECK OUR LISTS OF SCREENED OUT PEOPLE IN

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CONFIDENTIAL