940)
937
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945
045345
TOP MOHTAN 4781 Q DIST ?
MED 243/8
CONFIDENTIAL
FM HANOI
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
TELNO 460
OF 080047Z DECEMBER 88
INFO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG AND UKMIS GENEVA
ons
YOUR TELNO 292: VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE IN HONG KONG; REPATRIATION
·
1943
943
1 I CALLED ON MR TIN, CONSULAR DEPARTMENT, YESTERDAY AND HANDED OVER THE TEXT IN MIFT. THIS TEXT IS AN AMALGAM OF THAT IN HANOI TELNO 456 WITH THE AMENDMENTS IN YOUR TELNO 292 AND HONG KONG TELNO 4470, AND SOME TEXTUAL CHANGES WHICH I MADE MYSELF IN ORDER TO HELP CLARIFY VIETNAMESE THINKING.
2. MR TIN COMMENTED OFF THE CUFF THAT THE TEXT SEEMED
GENERALLY ACCEPTABLE BUT THAT HE WOULD OF COURSE HAVE TO CONSULT COLLEAGUES. HE WAS HOWEVER, CONCERNED THAT AS AN MOU THERE MIGHT NOT BE ANY SIGNATURES ON THE DOCUMENT. I ASSURED HIM THAT I WOULD BE PREPARED TO SIGN AN AGREED TEXT OF AN MOU. HE WAS ALSO CONCERNED THAT ''A CONTRIBUTION'' FROM THE BRITISH SIDE TO THE FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FOR REPATRIATION MIGHT NOT COVER ALL THE COSTS. I EXPLAINED THAT OTHER COUNTRIES WOULD BE CONTRIBUTING ALSO (IF HE REVERTS TO THIS POINT, MAY I SAY FOR HIS INFORMATION THAT THE BRITISH SIDE WILL IN FACT MEET ALL THE COSTS OF THOSE BEING REPATRIATED FROM HONG KONG?).
3. PARAGRAPH 1(E) OF YOUR TUR AND PARAGRAPH 4(D) OF HONG KONG TUR SEEM TO ARGUE IN DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS. I THEREFORE DID NO MORE THAN ACKNOWLEDGE HIS RESPONSE WHEN TIN SAID THAT THE VIETNAMESE TEAM WOULD PROCESS ONLY THOSE WHO HAD BEEN ACCEPTED BY THE VIETNAMESE SIDE. HE CONFIRMED THAT THEY WOULD ISSUE ENTRY PERMITS ON THE SPOT TO ALL EXCEPT THOSE WHO FOR WHATEVER REASON PROVED TO BE UNACCEPTABLE.
4. ON THE POINT ABOUT FOOD AND ACCOMMODATION TIN CONFIRMED HIS UNDERSTANDING THAT THE UNHCR WOULD MEET THE COSTS: WHAT THE TEXT MEANT WAS THAT THE HONG KONG AUTHORITIES SHOULD BE RESPONSIBLE
A FOR ENSURING THAT ARRANGEMENTS ARE MADE. THIS IS, I THINK, NON-POINT WHICH WE CAN LEAVE ASIDE (SEMI-COLON) BUT IT MIGHT BE
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