TNAG-1796-FCO40-2556-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-refugees-repatriation--including-Opera-1988 — Page 7

582

CONFIDENTIAL

FM FCO

TO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG

TELNO 2313

OF 091215Z SEPTEMBER

88

CONFIDENTIAL

HKD 243/8

INFO PRIORITY HANOI, UKMIS GENEVA

759

576

12 SEP 1988

061472

MDHOAN 4054

TOP COPY

MQ DIST 7

от

YOUR TELNOS 3504 AND 3350: VIETNAMESE BOAT

PEOPLE IN HONG KONG: TALKS WITH VIETNAM.

1. FIRST TUR: OUR FIRST AND STRONG PREFERENCE WOULD BE FOR THE

TALKS TO BE HELD IN THE FIRST WEEK OF OCTOBER. WE COULD IF

NECESSARY MANAGE 28-30 SEPTEMBER. WE WOULD BE GRATEFUL FOR HANOI'S COMMENTS ON THESE DATES, WITHOUT CONSULTING THE VIETNAMESE AUTHORITIES AT THIS STAGE (SEE PARA 4 BELOW).

WE

2. SECOND TUR PARA 2: WE SUMITTED OUR PROPOSALS TO MINISTERS

ON THE BASIS THAT OUR THINKING WAS AT A VERY EARLY STAGE.

OUTLINED THE IDEAS IN UNHCR'S PAPER

FOR THE APRIL ICG MEETING IN OTTAWA AS AN ILLUSTRATION OF THE

KIND OF AID WE HAD IN MIND. MINISTERS HAVE AGREED IN PRINCIPLE (IN PRINCIPLE) TO THE CONCEPT OF OUR CONTRIBUTING TO A UNHCR

PROGRAMME TO PROVIDE MODEST ASSISTANCE TO RETURNEES AND THEIR

IMMEDIATE COMMUNITIES. WE WILL NEED TO SUBMIT OUR DETAILED

PROPOSALS TO MINISTERS IN DUE COURSE. WE WOULD BE GRATEFUL IF

YOU WOULD KEEP IN CLOSE CONTACT WITH US AS YOUR THINKING DEVELOPS.

3.

SECOND TUR, PARA 3: WE WERE GRATEFUL FOR THIS INFORMATION. DO YOU HAVE ANY OTHER BASIC DETAILS (EG DATE OF BIRTH, FAMILY RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE VOLUNTEERS) WHICH WOULD HELP THE VIETNAMESE PINPOINT THESE INDIVIDUALS WHEN HMA HANOI HANDS OVER THE LIST.

SECOND TUR, PARA 4: WE UNDERSTAND THE DIFFICULTIES. THIS IS

A POINT THAT COULD BE TAKEN UP WITH UNHCR WHEN WE MAKE AN

APPROACH THROUGH UKMIS GENEVA COUR TELNO 2306).

5. YOU WILL HAVE SEEN COPIES OF THE RECENT TELEGRAMS CONCERNING

THE QUOTE FIRE-ARM UNQUOTE INCIDENT AT THE VIETNAMESE EMBASSY. WE HOPE THAT THIS INCIDENT CAN NOW (NOW) BE RESOLVED. WE ARE

CONSCIOUS OF THE IMPORTANCE OF MAKING EARLY PROGRESS ON THE BOAT

PEOPLE TALKS BUT CLEARLY IT WOULD NOT (NOT) BE APPROPRIATE FOR

HMA HANOI TO MAKE AN APPROACH TO THE VIETNAMESE CONCERNING THE

NEXT ROUND UNLESS AND UNTIL THE FIRE-ARM INCIDENT HAS BEEN SORTED OUT. THIS COULD, WITH LUCK, BE ON 12 SEPTEMBER IN WHICH CASE IT MIGHT BE POSSIBLE TO INSTRUCT HANOI TO APPROACH THE VIETNAMESE TOWARDS

THE END OF NEXT WEEK. BUT THIS COULD SLIP. WE WOULD OE GRATEFUL

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