CONFIDENTIAL
052026 MDHOAN 3854
CLOSE TOUCH TO GUARD AGAINST THE VIETNAMESE BUMPING UP THE PRICE. THE SECRETARY OF STATE COMMENTED THAT THIS WAS A GOOD IDEA. GILLMORE SAID THAT SINCE THE ANNOUNCEMENT ON 16 JUNE HONG KONG
WAS SCREENING ALL BOAT PEOPLE ON ARRIVAL TO ESTABLISH WHETHER
THEY WERE GENUINE REFUGEES OR ECONOMIC MIGRANTS. NO ANNOUNCEMENT HAD BEEN MADE, BUT THE GREAT MAJORITY OF THOSE INTERVIEWED HAD BEEN DEEMED ECONOMIC MIGRANTS. 103 PEOPLE HAD VOLUNTEERED FOR VOLUNTARY REPATRIATION, AND WE ATTACHED PRIORITY TO GETTING THEM BACK TO VIETNAM AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. THIS WOULD BE A USEFUL SYMBOL AND DETERRENT. HOWEVER, A MAJOR PROBLEM WOULD BE WHAT TO DO WITH THOSE WHO REALISED THEY HAD NO HOPE OF BEING GIVEN REFUGEE STATUS, BUT WHO NEVERTHELESS REFUSED TO BE REPATRIATED. ABU HASSAN AGREED, BUT SAID THAT SUCH PROBLEMS COULD BE ADDRESSED LATER, PERHAPS AT THE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE. HE COMMENTED THAT 103 WAS AN IMPRESSIVE FIGURE.
4.
THE SECRETARY OF STATE SAID VIETNAM HAD UNDERTAKEN TO RESTRICT THE OUTFLOW OF REFUGEES. WHAT ACTION HAD THEY TAKEN? ABU HASSAN REPLIED THAT THE ONLY ACTION SO FAR HAD BEEN THE STEPPING-UP OF THE ORDERLY DEPARTURE PROGRAMME. HOWEVER, THERE WERE ENCOURAGING SIGNS THAT VIETNAM WANTED TO REFORM ITS ECONOMIC POLICIES AND LESSEN ITS DEPENDENCE ON THE SOVIET UNION. THE VIETNAMESE HAD ASKED TO SEND A MINISTERIAL LEVEL DELEGATION TO MALAYSIA TO DISCUSS TRADE, AND WANTED TO SET UP A JOINT ECONOMIC COMMISSION. MALAYSIA WOULD CONTINUE TO REFUSE SUCH OFFERS UNTIL VIETNAM WITHDREW FROM CAMBODIA AND THE VIETNAMESE KNEW THIS. THEIR ECONOMIC ASPIRATIONS WERE THEREFORE A POWERFUL INCENTIVE TO
WITHDRAWAL.
5. ON CAMBODIA, THE SECRETARY OF STATE SAID THAT POL POT REMAINED A PROBLEM. ABU HASSAN SAID THAT ALL SIDES, INCLUDING THE CHINESE, WERE DETERMINED TO PREVENT HIS RETURN. THE SUBJECT WOULD BE DISCUSSED AT THE POST-JIM WORKING GROUP ON 17 OCTOBER, WHOSE REPORT WOULD APPEAR BY THE END OF THE YEAR. GILLMORE COMMENTED THAT THE CHINESE AND RUSSIANS HAD MET IN MOSCOW LAST WEEK.
HE WOULD TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY TO DEBRIEF ROGACHEV DURING HIS OWN VISIT TO MOSCOW NEXT WEEK. EARLY SOUNDINGS SUGGESTED THAT THE MEETING MIGHT ACCELERATE THE PROCESS OF WITHDRAWAL, RETURN FOR A CHINESE AGREEMENT TO CUT OFF AID TO THE KHMER ROUGE. WE WOULD KEEP IN CLOSE TOUCH WITH THE MALAYSIAN HIGH COMMISSION.
6.
IN
ON CHOGM, THE SECRETARY OF STATE SAID THAT WE WOULD PREFER A 5-DAY MEETING 19-23 OCTOBER. WE HAD LIKED THE VANCOUVER FORMAT AND SAW NO NEED FOR A LONGER MEETING. WE BELIEVED THE CANADIANS HAD SIMILAR VIEWS ON LENGTH AND TIMING. WE HOPED OUR POSITION, OF WHICH RAMPHAL WAS AWARE, WOULD BE TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT. ABU
2
PAGE
CONFIDENTIAL
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.