TNAG-1795-FCO40-2555-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-refugees-repatriation--including-Opera-1988 — Page 92

CONFIDENTIAL

FM HONG KONG

CONFIDENTIAL

639

-151773 MDHIAN 9969

REC

IMED...

24318

TOP COPY

1 0 AUG 1988

TO IMMEDIATE FCO

TELNO 2991

OF 10110OZ AUGUST 88

IND

Lams

INFO IMMEDIATE PEKING, SINGAPORE, MANILA, JAKARTA

INFO IMMEDIATE BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, WASHINGTON, CANBERRA INFO IMMEDIATE OTTAWA, TOKYO, UKMIS GENEVA, KUALA LUMPUR

MIPT: VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE IN HONG KONG: TALKS IN HANOI: BRIEFING OF CHINESE AUTHORITIES.

1. IT WOULD BE HELPFUL IF THE EMBASSY IN PEKING COULD BE INSTRUCTED TO BRIEF THE MFA ON THE RECENT TALKS DRAWING ON TUR. WE SUGGEST THAT THE FOLLOWING ADDITIONAL POINTS SHOULD BE STRESSED:

A) OUR OBJECTIVE IN GOING TO HANOI WAS TO PROBE THE POSSIBILITY OF VIETNAMESE CO-OPERATION IN SOLVING THIS SERIOUS PROBLEM FOR HONG KONG. THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL PRESSURES ON THE TERRITORY FROM THE ARRIVAL OF BOAT PEOPLE REMAIN INTENSE. AN EFFECTIVE

WAY OF DETERRING FUTURE ARRIVALS MUST BE FOUND. THE TALKS DID NOT COVER ANY OTHER GENERAL QUESTIONS OF RELATIONS WITH VIETNAM. B) THIS FIRST CONTACT WAS USEFUL IN PINNING THE VIETNAMESE DOWN TO AN ADMISSION OF THE NEED TO STOP THE OUTFLOW AND TO FIND AN EFFECTIVE MEANS OF REPATRIATION. WE SHALL BE MEETING THEM AGAIN

AND WILL AIM TO WORK OUT A PACKAGE WHICH WOULD ACHIEVE OUR AIM, PARTICULARLY ON REPATRIATION.

C) THERE IS NO QUESTION OF OUR GIVING THE VIETNAMESE LARGE-SCALE DEVELOPMENTAL AID.

WE WOULD ONLY BE PREPARED TO CONSIDER LIMITED RESETTLEMENT ASSISTANCE VIA THE UNHCR IF IT WAS PART OF A PACKAGE WHICH LOOKED LIKE LEADING TO A SOLUTION OF THE PROBLEM ON ACCEPTABLE CONDITIONS.

D) NO AGREEMENT HAS BEEN REACHED ON THE VIETNAMESE SENDING REPRESENTATIVES TO HONG KONG FOR CHECKING RETURNEES OR FOR ANY OTHER PURPOSE. WE DO NOT KNOW WHETHER A VISIT WILL BE NECESSARY AT SOME STAGE. IF IT WERE CONTEMPLATED IT WOULD ONLY BE FOR A STRICTLY LIMITED PURPOSE AND PERIOD.

/

E) OUR CONTACTS WITH THE VIETNAMESE CONFIRMED THAT AS WE HAVE TOLD THE CHINESE, BOAT PEOPLE ARE GETTING CONSIDERABLE HELP BY CALLING IN AT CHINESE PORTS ON THE WAY TO HONG KONG. AN EFFECTIVE SHUTDOWN OF SUCH ASSISTANCE WOULD BE A MAJOR CONTRIBUTION TO DETERRING DEPARTURES FROM VIETNAM.

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