TNAG-1803-FCO40-2563-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-refugees-talks-between-the-UK--Hong-Kon-1988 — Page 124

CONFIDENTIAL

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Miss Slater

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على بدن ملتا اس پیا

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Vietnamese Boat People in Hong Kong

The Secretary of State has seen your minute of 5 October. He is generally content with the approach proposed. He has the following comments of detail:

(a) he would like to think that there was some precision about the likely cash costs of each stage of this process, and where the money is to come from (?ODA, Hong Kong Government, third countries);

(b) If the Vietnamese do insist on sending a team to Hong Kong to persuade people that it is safe to return to Vietnam, we should not allow our reluctance to become a sticking point.

might endanger the whole process. We could work out with Hong Kong a way to limit the risks of such a visit;

(c) We need to stress to the Vietnamese that it is most important that the first group to return to Vietnam should get a good reception if more boat people are to follow willingly;

(d) The Secretary of State wonders whether any consideration has been given to the question in Mr Powell's letter of 5 September about the possibility of other countries being persuaded to take Vietnamese boat people with some kind of endowment.

Cu 1

10 October 1988

Cc:

PS/Lord Glenarthur PS/Mr Eggar

PS/Mr Patten

PS/PUS

Mr Gillmore

Mr Hum, HKD

Mr Colvin, SEAD

Mr Williams, UND

Mr Whitehead, News Dept

Mr MacLeod, Protocol Dept Mr Machin, ODA

(R N Peirce)