TNAG-1803-FCO40-2563-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-refugees-talks-between-the-UK--Hong-Kon-1988 — Page 46

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FM HONG KONG

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TELNO 3876

OF 18120OZ OCTOBER 88

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¡OCT 1988

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INFO PRIORITY PEKING, HANOI, UKMIS GENEVA, BANGKOK, KUALA LUMPUR INFO PRIORITY WASHINGTON, TOKYO, MANILA, SINGAPORE, JAKARTA

ماذ

YOUR TELNO 469 TO BANGKOK: VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE: 2ND ROUND OF TALKS WITH VIETNAMESE: JAPANESE VIEWS.

1. ON 18 OCTOBER POLITICAL ADVISER BRIEFED JAPANESE CONSUL-GENERAL LINES OF YOUR TUR (AT THE CONSUL-GENERAL'S REQUEST).

2. SAITO SAID THAT ON A PERSONAL BASIS HE HAD BEEN CONSIDERING WHAT RECOMMENDATION HE SHOULD MAKE TO TOKYO ON WHETHER AND TO WHAT EXTENT JAPAN SHOULD GET INVOLVED IN THE CURRENT PHASE OF THE BOAT PEOPLE PROBLEM. HE WAS STRUCK BY THE EVIDENCE OF A NEW APPROACH (EG. HONG KONG'S AND MALAYSIA'S DISCUSSIONS WITH THE VIETNAMESE) AND WONDERED WHETHER THERE WOULD BE A ROLE FOR JAPAN, POSSIBLY BY SOME FORM OF FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE. HE STRESSED THAT HE HAD NOT YET GOT A VIEW FROM TOKYO ON THIS.

ON

3. CLIFT ENCOURAGED SAITO TO PURSUE THIS IDEA. HE EMPHASIZED THAT WE AND THE VIETNAMESE AGREED THAT ASSISTANCE SHOULD BE LIMITED AND ORGANISED BY THE UNHCR SPECIFICALLY IN ORDER TO HELP WITH THE REINTEGRATION OF THE RETURNEES. THERE WAS NO QUESTION OF DEVELOPMENT- AL OR OTHER AID FOR THE VIETNAMESE GOVERNMENT. WE SAW CONSIDERABLE ADVANTAGE IN GENUINELY INTERNATIONAL FUNDING FOR SUCH ASSISTANCE AND HOPE THAT THE JAPANESE WOULD BE ABLE TO CONSIDER THE IDEA SERIOUSLY.

4. SAITO ASKED WHETHER WE HAD AN ESTIMATE OF THE LIKELY PER CAPITA COST OF ASSISTANCE. PA SAID THAT WE HAD NOT YET GOT THIS BUT SHOULD SOON BE ABLE TO GIVE THE JAPANESE AN IDEA, AFTER WE HAD HAD

DISCUSSIONS WITH UNHCR.

5. SAITO ALSO ASKED FOR OUR VIEW OF THE CHINESE ATTITUDE BOTH GENERALLY TOWARDS HONG KONG'S NEW POLICY AND OUR DISCUSSIONS WITH THE VIETNAMESE AND ALSO ON THE SPECIFIC QUESTION OF FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE, INCLUDING POSSIBLE CONTRIBUTIONS BY OTHER GOVERNMENTS.

C

IFT SAID THAT THE CHINESE PUBLICLY SUPPORTED OUR POLICY AND WERE CLEARLY KEEN TO SEE THE PROBLEM RESOLVED. WE KEPT THEM CLOSELY

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