TNAG-1905-FCO40-2709-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-refugees-voluntary-and-mandatory-repat-1989 — Page 116

CONFIDENTIAL

CONFIDENTIAL

FM BANGKOK

TO IMMEDIATE FCO

TELNO 496

OF 250915Z JULY 89

INFO IMMEDIATE HANOI AND HONG KONG

158

151523

MDHIAN 4497

TOP COPY

Q DIST

HK B

243/a

FROM COLVIN SEAD, FCO

HANOI TELNO 384 TO FCO: VBP:

REPATRIATION

1. BARNES AND I SAW LE THO ON 24 JULY TO STRESS THE IMPORTANCE OF SETTLING THE QUESTION OF MONEY AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. I SAID THAT IT WAS EXCEPTIONAL FOR A GOVERNMENT TO GIVE MONEY TO ANOTHER GOVERNMENT FOR ACCEPTING BACK ITS OWN CITIZENS AND EVEN MORE ANOMALOUS FOR THE LATTER TO HAGGLE OVER THE AMOUNT. WHAT WE WERE OFFERING WAS ADEQUATE AND, ON OUR CALCULATIONS, EQUIVALENT TO WHAT UNHCR MADE AVAILABLE FOR VOLUNTEERS, I URGED THE VIETNAMESE SIDE TO REVIEW THE MATTER AT THE POLITICAL LEVEL AND REMOVE IT FROM THE MINISTRY OF LABOUR. BARNES EXPLAINED THAT, IN VIEW OF THE DELAY, THE FIRST GROUP OF 22 AQUIESCENTS HAD DWINDLED TO AROUND A DOZEN. IT WAS NOT REALLY VIABLE TO REPATRIATE SUCH A SMALL NUMBER IN A BOEING 737 WITH A CAPACITY OF 110. WE THEREFORE WISHED TO PREPARE A NEW GROUP OF UP TO 30 OR 40 RETURNEES. THIS WOULD TAKE MORE TIME. BUT IT WAS MOST IMPORTANT THAT THE FIRST RETURN SHOULD BE A SUCCESS.

2. LE THO INSISTED THAT THERE WAS NO INTENTION ON THE VIETNAMESE SIDE TO DELAY MATTERS THEY STILL WISHED TO PROCEED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE WITH THE FIRST REPATRIATION. THE ACTUAL AMOUNT OF MONEY WAS A MATTER OF LESSER IMPORTANCE. HE WOULD NOT HAVE EXPECTED IT TO HAVE GIVEN RISE TO MUCH DISCUSSION. THE LEVEL SHOULD BE SIMILAR TO THAT FOR VOLUNTEERS AND THAT US DOLLARS 659 WAS THEREFORE THE RIGHT FIGURE. THE VIETNAMESE SIDE HAD BEEN SURPRISED THAT OUR OFFER HAD GONE FROM 400 TO 600 US DOLLARS. THIS WAS A VERY LARGE JUMP. HE HOPED THAT THE MONEY COULD BE SETTLED QUICKLY. BOTH SIDES SHOULD STOP BARGAINING. HE AGREED TO NOTIFY HANOI THAT WE WANTED TIME TO PREPARE A NEW GROUP OF RETURNEES AND THEY SHOULD EXPECT FURTHER DOCUMENTATION.

3. ON 25 JULY, LE THO SOUGHT ME OUT. HE SAID THAT HANOI WANTED TO SETTLE OUTSTANDING MATTERS QUICKLY AND PROCEED

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