Note No:
210
(106)
243/
Her Britannic Majesty's Embassy present their compliments to the Department of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of the Philippines and have the honour to inform the Department that a joint British/Hong Kong Government delegation met Vietnamese officials in Hanoi on 3 3 - 4 August to discuss possible solutions to the problem of Vietnamese boat people in Hong Kong. The discussions were conducted in an open and friendly manner and although this first round of talks was essentially exploratory, useful progress was made on some points of principle. Other important issues have yet to be agreed but they will be pursued at a further round of talks. The date has yet to be agreed but
it might be early September.
The delegation's objectives were:
a) To persuade the Vietnamese to accept repatriation of all Vietnamese boat people arriving in Hong Kong after 16 June who were not genuine refugees on terms and conditions which would be acceptable to the British/Hong Kong Governments.
b) To persuade the Vietnamese Government to take effective
action to stop the outflow of boat people.
They stressed that both objectives would have to be met and guaranteed in any package to be agreed between the two sides. They also emphasised the need for assurances from Vietnam on the humane
treatment of returnees.
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The Vietnamese acknowledged that the boat people were a serious
problem and that a solution was urgently required. They said that the outflow was caused primarily by economic and social conditions.
within Vietnam, but added that there were outsiders who were
encouraging and assisting people to leave. They assured the British/ Hong Kong Delegation that they would make an increased effort to prevent departures.
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