TNAG-1798-FCO40-2558-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-refugees-repatriation--including-Opera-1988 — Page 123

CONFIDENTIAL

FM FCO

TO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG

TELNO 3067

OF 28150OZ NOVEMBER 88

CONFIDENTIAL

INFO IMMEDIATE HANOI, UKMIS GENEVA

926

928

012254

MDHOAN 9922

MKD

""нко 243/8

TON COPY Q DIST

161)243/6

YOUR TELNO 4353, OUR TELNO 282 TO HANOI (NOW REPEATED TO YOU AND

HANOI TELNO 440:(163)243/6

VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE IN HONG KONG: REPATRIATION ARRANGEMENTS 1. WE SHARE YOUR CONCERN THAT WE SHOULD DO EVERYTHING POSSIBLE

TO ENSURE THAT THE UNHCR REPATRIATION PROGRAMME IS AGREED QUICKLY AND THAT SOME RETURNEES SHOULD GO BACK SOON. YOU WILL NOW HAVE SEEN SECOND TUR, WHICH OWING TO AN OVERSIGHT WAS NOT REPEATED TO YOU ON ISSUE.

2. PRIOR TO THE ISSUE OF SECOND TUR WE DID BRIEF MINISTERS ON THE RECENT UNWELCOME DEVELOPMENTS. WE AGREE WITH YOU THAT IT WOULD BE HELPFUL TO REFER TO MINISTERIAL CONCERN IN OUR CONTACTS WITH THE VIETNAMESE AND UNHCR. WE WOULD BE GRATEFUL IF HANOI AND UKMIS GENEVA WOULD DO THIS EITHER WHEN ACTING ON SECOND TUR, OR AT THE EARLIEST APPROPRIATE TIME.

3.

PARA 2 OF THIRD TUR: WE NOTE THE UNWELCOME NEWS OF LIKELY FURTHER DELAYS IN AGREEING LANGUAGE TO BE USED TO COVER RETURNEES' IMMUNITY FROM PROSECUTION. THIS MAKES IT ALL THE MORE IMPORTANT TO UNDERLINE OUR CONCERNS AS INDICATED ABOVE.

HOWE

YYYY

ΜΑΙΝ

22

LIMITED

HKD

SEAD

NNNN

DISTRIBUTION

22

MR MCLAREN

PS/LORD GLENARTHUR

PAGE 1 CONFIDENTIAL