TNAG-1876-FCO40-2667-Relations-between-Hong-Kong-and-Japan-1989 — Page 23

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COMMENT:

CONFIDENTIAL

FM FCO

TO PRIORITY TOKYO

TELNO 1001

OF 18120OZ DECEMBER 89

INFO PRIORITY RANGOON. HANOI. BANGKOK. HONG KONG

MY Z IPTS (NOT TO ALL):

OTSUKA'S CALL ON MCLAREN. 15 DECEMBER:

BURMA. CAMBODIA AND BOAT PEOPLE

1 OTSUKA SAID THAT JAPAN SAW POSITIVE DEVELOPMENTS IN BURMA. AFTER OVER 25 YEARS OF SELF-IMPOSED ISOLATION. BURMA WAS BEGINNING TO OPEN UP AND JAPAN HOPED THAT NEXT MAY'

ELECTIONS

WOULD BE FREE AND FAIR. BUT JAPAN WOULD BE MAKING NO IMMEDIATE JUDGEMENTS ON BURMA'S RESPECT FOR HUMAN RIGHTS.

OTSUKA COMMENTED THAT DEMOCRACY AND HUMAN RIGHS

MUST BE SEEN IN THE CONTEXT OF BURMA'S SOCIAL AND POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT IN THE LAST 20 TO 25 YEARS. JAPAN WOULD, THEREFORE. TAKE A REALISTIC VIEW OF EVENTS IN BURMA, UNLIKE SOME

(UNSPECIFIED) EC COUNTRIES.

2

MCLAREN AGREED THAT A HUMAN RIGHTS POLICY MUST BE TEMPERED WITH REALISM. BUT THE UK ASSESSMENT OF THE CURRENT SITUATION WAS LESS ENCOURAGING THAN JAPAN' S,

WE THOUGHT THAT THE AUTHORITIES WOULD SEEK EITHER TO MANAGE THE ELECTIONS OR HAVE THEM POSTPONED. THE UK BELIEVED THAT WESTERN GOVERNMENTS. INCLUDING JAPAN, SHOULD KEEP THEIR POLICIES CLOSELY ALIGNED. MCLAREN POINTED OUT THAT JAPAN HAD A VERY IMPORTANT ROLE TO PLAY AS BURMA'S MAJOR AID DONOR.

CAMBODIA

3 MCLAREN WENT OVER THE GROUND ABOUT OUR RECENT POLICY ADJUSTMENTS AND THE OFFICIALS' VISIT TO CAMBODIA AND COMMENTED THAT, ALTHOUGH ENCOURAGING. RECENT DIPLOMATIC INITIATIVES AIMED AT REACHING A SETTLEMENT WOULD NEED THE AGREEMENT OF ALL CAMBODIAN FACTIONS TO SUCCEED. OTSUKA MENTIONED THAT THE JAPANESE FOREIGN MINISTER WOULD BE VISITING THAILAND AND MALAYSIA IN EARLY JANUARY. WHEN CAMBODIA WOULD BE A MAJOR TOPIC FOR DISCUSSION.

BOAT PEOPLE

4 MCLAREN STRESSED THE IMPORTANCE OF MAKING PROGRESS ON THE REPATRIATION OF BOAT PEOPLE WHEN THE STEERING COMMITTEE OF THE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON INDO-CHINA REFUGEES RESUMED ON 18-19 JANUARY. ADDING THAT THE US POSITION WOULD BE CRITICAL. OTSUKA HOPED THE USA WOULD NOT BE OBSTRUCTIVE.

HURD

YYYY

MAIN

139

.JAPAN POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC

(BACKGROUND)

LIMITED

FED

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