TNAG-1796-FCO40-2556-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-refugees-repatriation--including-Opera-1988 — Page 231

CONFIDENTIAL

016077 MDHIAN 1393

11

4. TIN THEN SUGGESTED THAT VIETNAMESE OFFICIALS SHOULD GO

TO HONG KONG AS ENVISAGED DURING THE FIRST ROUND. OF TALKS' ΤΟ ''CHECK OR "'VERIFY THE LIST OF RETURNEES I PRESSED HIM QUITE HARD ON WHAT HE MEANT BY THIS, BUT HE REMAINED

»

UNCLEAR.

HE SAID THAT THE VIETNAMESE DO NOT WISH TO ''INTERVIEW' THEIR

PEOPLE (WHICH I TOOK TO MEAN THAT THEY DO NOT PROPOSE PARTICIPATING

IN THE SCREENING PROCESS) BUT THAT THEY DO WANT TO MEET THEM SO

AS TO CHECK THEIR PLACE OF ORIGIN AND OTHER IDENTIFYING DETAILS.

I POINTED OUT THAT AT THE FIRST ROUND OF TALKS THE IDEA OF VIET-

NAMESE OFFICIALS GOING TO HONG KONG AT SOME STAGE HAD NOT BEEN

RULED OUT BUT THAT NOTHING HAD BEEN FIRMED UP. I ALSO SUGGESTED THAT

THE VIETNAMESE WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO DISCOVER ANYTHING FOR THEM-

SELVES THAT WOULD NOT ALREADY HAVE BEEN PASSED TO THEM VIA UNHCR.

TIN THEN ADDED THAT IN THE PAST WHEN ONLY A HANDFUL OF VOLUNTEERS

HAD BEEN PROCESSED, VIETNAM HAD NOT CONSIDERED IT NECESSARY TO SEND OFFICIALS TO HONG KONG BUT THAT LARGER NUMBERS WOULD PRESENT DIFFICULTIES. HOWEVER, HE HINTED THAT IF THE FIRST BATCH WENT WELL THEN OFFICIALS WOULD NOT NEED TO GO TO HONG KONG FOR FURTHER

BATCHES. WE LEFT IT THAT I WOULD REPORT ALL OF THIS AND REVERT

WITH YOUR REACTIONS.

5. ON THE TIMING OF THE NEXT ROUND, TIN SAID THAT HE WOULD CONSULT HIS SUPERIORS AND GIVE ME SOME INDICATION OF PREFERRED DATES.

I DID NOT RAISE THE QUESTION OF VENUE BUT I GUESS THAT THE VIET-

NAMESE WILL BE QUITE HAPPY TO MEET AGAIN IN HANOI. INTERESTINGLY,

TIN HIMSELF SAID THAT IT MIGHT BE USEFUL TO SEE A FIRST BATCH OF

VII'S RETURNED BEFORE THE NEXT ROUND OF TALKS SO AS TO CREATE

THE RIGHT ATMOSPHERE FOR MAKING PROGRESS I AGREED BUT STRESSED

THAT WE DID NOT WISH TO IMPOSE CONDITIONS FOR THE

NEXT ROUND OR NECESSARILY SEE IT DELAYED.

R

6. THIS WAS AN INTERESTIGNG MEETING IN AS MUCH AS TIN WAS WILLING

TO ENVISAGE THE RETURN OF LARGE NUMBERS OF BOAT PEOPLE IN SEVERAL

BATCHES. STRICTLY SPEAKING, WE ARE STILL ONLY SPEAKING ABOUT VOL- UNTEERS BUT I THINK THAT THERE ARE INDICATIONS IN THE ABOVE THAT

WE CAN MAKE PROGRESS ON THIS POINT. A FEW DAYS AGO, ERRKI HEINONER, THE ACTING UNHCR REPRESENTATIVE, TOLD ME THAT IN HIS OPINION THE VIETNAMESE ARE TRULY WORRIED ABOUT THE CONSEQUENCES OF HAVING LARGE NUMBERS OF SULLEN, UNCOOPERATIVE NON-VOLUNTEERS

DUMPED ON THEM AND THAT THIS IS A MAJOR REASON WHY THEY ARE

MAKING SUCH A FUSS ABOUT VOLUNTARISM.

COMPROMISE ON THIS POINT IF IT CAN BE

CAN BE RETURNED IN AN ORDERLY FASHION

AIRCRAFT STEPS IN HAND CUFFS EXCLAM).

PAGE

2

HE ADDED THAT THEY WOULD

SHOWN THAT NON-VOLUNTEERS

(AND NOT DRAGGED DOWN THE

AND THAT FACED WITH THE

CONFIDENTIAL