FROM: R A Burns
MA
Jan Kali
VA
слагала
HKD 243/12
News Department
DATE: 16 December 1988
CC: PS/Lord Glenarthur
PS/PUS
Mr Teasdale
R÷
1 DEC 988
Mr Gillmore
Private Secretary
"THIS WEEK": VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE
Mr McLaren
Mr Colvin, SEAD
Mr Hum, HKD
243/12
1. I attach a tape of the programme in case the Secretary of State
did not see it.
2.
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We think we can be reasonably satisfied with the outcome
view shared by Mr Colvin and Mr Hum. The editing was fair, in
particular the Secretary of State's phrase that: "we are not talking
about compulsion at this stage .....' was crucial. If it had come across that we would forceably repatriate the boat people now, then
the criticism would have been severe. Overall the clips used from
the Secretary of State's interview left the impression of the UK
being realistic about the problem while showing sympathy and concern
over its resolution.
3.
Boat people will remain a subject on which we are, in media
terms, on something of a hiding to nothing. There is too much emotion surrounding it an aspect played up in the programme. But
in spite of this, Gill and his team did a fairly balanced job which
was not unhelpful to us. Interestingly, follow up press enquiries
today have not been critical; they have mainly focussed on
resettlement in the UK which was not covered in the programme.
Andrews Runn Andand
R A Burns
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