TNAG-1796-FCO40-2556-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-refugees-repatriation--including-Opera-1988 — Page 85

Mr Hum

Hyam, HKD

CONFIDENTIAL

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6 SEP 1988

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Vietnamese Boat People in Hong Kong

The Secretary of State has seen your minute of

25 August. Like Mr Gillmore he finds the proposal that we pay the Vietnamese to take their people back somewhat distasteful, but he accepts that it seems to be the only way forward. He also agrees with Mr Gillmore that we should omit your draft paragraph 9 on resettlement from the message to the Prime Minister.

The Secretary of State would find it helpful to know how UNHCR envisage the operation of the repatriation programme. And would it cover other first asylum places as well as Hong Kong? Investigation of these points need not however delay our own repatriation programme.

More urgently, the Secretary of State would like to see greater clarity in the message to the Prime Minister about the amount of cash we would be required to stump up for all this. He was struck for example that our contribution is described as both "modest" (paragraph 10) and "significant" (paragraph 11).

(paragraph 11). I know that the first of these refers to the proposed UNHCR programme in Vietnam, and the second to UNHCR activities in Hong Kong. It would however be helpful if this could be spelt out more clearly and some indication given of the amounts involved. Any figures that you were able to give on the amounts of money involved per boat person, the number of boat people likely to be involved and the number of years over which these contributions are likely to be made, would be most helpful. The likely amount of Hong Kong's own contribution, the costs of transportation etc, should also if possible be included.

I should be grateful if you could pursue these details urgently with ODA and Hong Kong. The Secretary of State

problem in principle with what is proposed, but he greatly dislikes blank cheques; so does the Prime Minister.

has no

30 August 1988

CC:

PS/Lord Glenarthur

PS/Mr Patten

Mr Gillmore

Mr Colvin, SEAD

Mr Graham-Harrison, ODA

(R N Peirce)