TNAG-1803-FCO40-2563-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-refugees-talks-between-the-UK--Hong-Kon-1988 — Page 118

CONFIDENTIAL

FM FCO

CONFIDENTIAL

TOP Q DIST

MKD 243/1s

TO DESKBY 13010OZ HONG KONG

TELNO 2668

OF 121230Z OCTOBER 88

INFO IMMEDIATE HANOI, UKMIS GENEVA, BANGKOK, KUALA LUMPUR

INFO IMMEDIATE SINGAPORE, PEKING

ах

013225 MDHOAN 6502

FROM MCLAREN

MIPT: VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE IN HONG KONG: SECOND ROUND OF TALKS WITH VIETNAM

DAY TWO: DISCUSSION OF THE PRESS STATEMENT

1.

THE VIETNAMESE CAME TO THE MEETING READY TO ACCEPT OUR DRAFT WE HAD PREPARED COMMUNIQUE SUBJECT TO AMENDMENTS TO PARAGRAPH 3. A FURTHER VERSION INCORPORATING THE AMENDMENTS IN MY TELNO2655 AND YOUR TELN03796 (AS AGREED BY TELEPHONE WITH HONG KONG, THE SENTENCE ABOUT REINTEGRATION ASSISTANCE BEGAN QUOTE THE BRITISH SIDE .. UNQUOTE. WE JUDGED THIS TO BE A FORMULATION WHICH THE VIETNAMESE WOULD ACCEPT, WHILE TAKING ACCOUNT OF LIKELY SENSITIVITIES IN LEGCO).

THE

2. FURTHER DISCUSSION PROCEEDED REASONABLY SMOOTHLY. VIETNAMESE DROPPED SOME LANGUAGE IN THEIR VERSION OF PARA 3 WHICH WE FOUND UNSATISFACTORY. I HAD TO DROP THE REFERENCE TO MONITORING IN MY TELNO 2655.

I PUT THIS TO KHOAN, BUT HE SAID THAT WHILE MONITORING PRESENTED NO PROBLEM IN PRINCIPLE HE WOULD PREFER TO LEAVE OUT ANY REFERENCE TO IT IN THIS STATEMENT.

3.

AGREED TEXT OF PRESS STATEMENT IS IN MIFT. HAS ALREADY BEEN FAXED BY THE

ADVANCE COPY

HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE TO GIS.

HOWE

YYYY

1

PAGE CONFIDENTIAL