TNAG-1800-FCO40-2560-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-refugees-principle-of-first-asylum-1988 — Page 85

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WHKD MOLOAN 1001

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TO PRIORITY ATHENS

TELNO 186

OF 192117Z JULY 88

INFO PRIORITY OTHER EC POSTS, MOSCOW, WASHINGTON, UKDEL NATO INFO PRIORITY UKMIS NEW YORK, UKMIS GENEVA STRASBOURG, TOKYO INFO PRIORITY HONG KONG, HANOI, BANGKOK, KUALA LUMPUR, SINGAPORE INFO ROUTINE BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, PEKING, JAKARTA, MANILA

INFO ROUTINE CANBERRA

EPC MINISTERIAL MEETING, 18 JULY: VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE

SUMMARY

1.

I SOUGHT SUPPORT FOR OUR EFFORTS TO DEAL WITH THE GROWING

PROBLEMS POSED TO PLACES OF FIRST ASYLUM BY VIETNAMESE BOAT

PEOPLE.

DETAIL

2. I DESCRIBED THE DRAMATIC INCREASE IN NUMBERS OF BOAT PEOPLE

REACHING THAILAND AND HONG KONG. WE HOPED THAT IT WOULD BE

POSSIBLE FOR THE TWELVE TO MAKE A DEMARCHE IN HANOI AS SOON AS

POSSIBLE. THIS WOULD USEFULLY SERVE TO MAINTAIN INTERNATIONAL

PRESSURE ON VIETNAM TO TAKE THE PLANNED TALKS WITH PLACES OF

FIRST ASYLUM AND UNHCR SERIOUSLY. WE HAD CIRCULATED A DRAFT

TEXT THAT WE HOPED OTHERS COULD ACCEPT.

3.

1

CHEYSSON (COMMISSION) INTERVENED AT UNEXPECTED LENGTH. HE

ACKNOWLEDGED THAT PLACES OF FIRST ASYLUM IN THE REGION COULD NO

LONGER BE EXPECTED TO RECEIVE THE 'ECONOMIC'' REFUGEES NOW

LEAVING VIETNAM IN GREAT NUMBERS. BUT A DEMARCHE ON THE RETURN

OF SUCH PEOPLE SHOULD DRAW A SUITABLE DISTINCTION WITH THE CASE

OF POLITICAL REFUGEES : WE HAD FOR YEARS BEEN PRESSING VIETNAM TO

ALLOW PEOPLE TO LEAVE FREELY. THE ROOT OF THE PROBLEM WAS THE

DIRE ECONOMIC SITUATION. WE SHOULD HAVE NO ILLUSIONS: THE

PROBLEM WOULD DRAG ON FOR A LONG TIME.

HOWE

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