1.
CONFIDENTIAL
745
031667
нко чтобы 1897
CONFIDENTIAL
FM HANOI
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
TELNO 300
OF 01095OZ ASEPTEMBER 88
AND TO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG
onu
INFO IMMEDIATE UKMIS GENEVA, PEKING, WASHINGTON, TOKYO, BANGKOK INFO IMMEDIATE BANDAR SERI BAGAWAN, JAKARTA, KUALA LUMPUR, MANILA INFO IMMEDIATE SINGAPORE, OTTAWA, CANBERRA
MY TELNO 298 OF 31 AUGUST: VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE
VISIT OF MALAYSIAN DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER
1. YESTERDAY I SAW HOANG QUOC TIN OF CONSULAR DEPARTMENT, MFA, ABOUT THIS VISIT. THIS AFTERNOON THE MALAYSIAN AMBASSADOR, YUSUF HASHIM, BRIEFED WESTERN HEADS OF MISSIONS.
2. ACCORDING TO HASHIM, THE MALAYSIANS MADE IT QUITE CLEAR
THAT MAIN POINT OF THE VISIT WAS TO DISCUSS THE BOAT PEOPLE ALTHOUGH REGIONAL AND BILATERAL ISSUES WERE TOUCHED ON.
THE MALAYSIANS EXPLAINED THAT THEY CURRENTLY HAVE ABOUT 14,000 BOAT PEOPLE IN PULAU BIDONG OF WHOM 7,000 OR SO PRESENTLY HAVE NO CHANCE OF RESETTELEMENT. THESE PEOPLE ARE A PROBLEM WHICH MALAYSIA MUST SOLVE. PULAU BIDONG WILL BE CLOSED BY APRIL 1989 AT THE LATEST AFTER WHICH THE MALAYSIANS WILL ACCEPT NO MORE BOAT PEOPLE. HASHIM WOULD NOT EXPLAIN IN DETAIL WHAT THIS MEANS BUT HE HINTED STRONGLY THAT MALAYSIA WOULD RESORT TO A POLICY OF PUSH-OFF. FROM NOW UNTIL THE CLOSURE OF THE ISLAND MALAYSIA WILL ADOPT A PROGRESSIVELY TOUGHER ATTITUDE TO ARRIVALS AND SHE EXPECTS ALL THE PRESENT INMATES TO HAVE LEFT BY APRIL 1989 (AGAIN, HASHIM WOULD NOT BE MORE SPECIFIC ON THESE TWO POINTS). MOST, IF NOT ALL, SHOULD RETURN TO VIETNAM AND THE MALAYSIANS MADE IT CLEAR FROM THE BEGINNING THAT THEY WOULD BE WILLING TO OFFER RESETTLEMENT ASSIST- ANCE.
.
3. MUCH OF WHAT WAS EVENTUALLY AGREED IS IN THE COMMUNIQUE (MY TEL NO 298 OF 31 AUGUST REFERS). HOWEVER THE MAIN POINT IS THAT THE TWO SIDES AGREED THAT REPATRIATION TO VIETNAM SHOULD ONLY BE VOLUNTARY AND A TEAM OF VIETNAMESE OFFICIALS WILL SOON (WITHIN A MONTH) GO TO MALAYSIA TO HELP THE MALAYSIAN AUTHORITIES PERSUADE THE BOAT PEOPLE THAT VOLUNTEERING TO RETURN TO VIETNAM IS THE THING TO DO. ACCORDING TO HASHIM THE MALAYSIANS WERE INITIALLY SUSPICIOUS OF THIS IDEA BUT THEY HAVE COME TO THE CONCLUSION THAT THE VIETNAMESE
·
1
PAGE
CONFIDENTIAL
Page 75Page 76
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.