TNAG-1797-FCO40-2557-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-refugees-repatriation--including-Opera-1988 — Page 199

HKD 243/8

RECEIVED

22 SEP 1988

835

CONFIDENTIAL

IN

LOMS

121044

MDHOAN 5003

CONFIDENTIAL

FM FCO

TO DESKBY 22010OZ HONG KONG

TELNO 2442

OF 21160OZ SEPTEMBER 88

INFO IMMEDIATE HANOI

833

TOP COPY Q DIST ?

YOUR TELNO 3554 VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE IN HONG KONG: SECOND

ROUND OF TALKS WITH THE

VIETNAMESE

1. WE UNDERSTAND YOUR CONCERNS ABOUT LOCAL PRESS SPECULATION AND

POSSIBLE TENSION IN THE DENTENTION CENTRES. WE TOO ATTACH

IMPORTANCE TO A CAREFULLY PLANNED ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE DATE AND VENUE. IT IS PARTLY FOR THIS REASON THAT WE HAVE DIFFICULTY WITH WHAT YOU PROPOSE. WE HAD CERTAINLY NOT ENVISAGED AN ANNOUNCEMENT

TAKING PLACE AS EARLY AS 22 SEPTEMBER.

2. WE SEE VALUE IN CAREFULLY BRIEFING UNHCR, SOME ASEAN COUNTRIES AND THE AMERICANS ABOUT THE SCOPE OF THE TALKS BEFORE ANY ANNOUNCEMENT IS MADE, SO AS TO REASSURE THEM THAT THERE IS NO QUESTION OF OUR CUTTING ACROSS MULTILATERAL EFFORTS. AN EARLY

ANNOUNCEMENT WILL NOT PERMIT THIS TO HAPPEN AND COULD WELL PROVOKE AN UNHELPFUL REACTION. A FURTHER CONSIDERATION IS THAT

WE WOULD PREFER TO ALLOW MORE TIME TO ELAPSE AFTER THE VIETNAMESE

EMBASSY GUN INCIDENT BEFORE MAKING THE TALKS PUBLIC. AND IN ANY CASE WE THINK IT WOULD BE MORE APPROPRIATE FOR THE ANNOUNCEMENT

TO BE MADE HERE, AS LONDON WILL BE THE VENUE OF THE TALKS AND THE UK TEAM WILL BE LEAD FROM THE FCO ON THIS OCCASION.

3.

IT ALSO OCCURS TO US THAT AN EARLY ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE TALKS

MIGHT ACTUALLY INCREASE THE DIFFICULTIES YOU WOULD FACE IN THE

DETENTION CENTRES SINCE IT COULD LEAD TO FESTERING RESENTMENT

THROUGHOUT THE PERIOD BETWEEN THE ANNOUNCEMENT AND THE TALKS

THEMSELVES.

4.

FOR THESE REASONS, WE WOULD THEREFORE BE GRATEFUL IF YOU WOULD AGREE THAT THE TALKS SHOULD NOT BE ANNOUNCED FOR THE TIME BEING.OUR PRESENT THINKING IS THAT THE MOST APPROPRIATE TIME TO MAKE THE ANNOUNCEMENT WOULD BE AT THE BEGINNING OF OCTOBER, JUST BEFORE THE EXCOM MEETING.

HOWE

YYYY

1

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