117
127151 MDHIAN 3452
CONFIDENTIAL
FM HANOI
TO DESKBY 17100OZ FCO
TELNO 370
OF 17090OZ JULY 89
CONFIDENTIAL
HK 8 243/9
AND TO DESKBY 17100OZ HONG KONG
INFO IMMEDIATE UKMIS GENEVA
TOP COPY Q DIST?
MY TELNO 368 OF 17 JULY: VBP REPATRIATION
1. THIS AFTERNOON I SAW NGUYEN CONG KHANH DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF CONSULAR DEPARTMENT MFA. LE THO IS IN HO CHI MINH CITY.
2. I HANDED OVER ALL 26 FORMS AND PHOTOGRAPHS RECENTLY RECEIVED FROM HONG KONG ALTHOUGH I CHECKED THAT KHANH WAS AWARE OF THE CHANGES TO THIS ORIGINAL GROUP. KHANH SAID THAT ONLY NOW WITH THE HANDING OVER OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS HAD WE FULFILLED OUR COMMITMENT ACCORDING TO THE 26 JUNE AGREEMENT. HE ADDED THAT LE THO AND CHUONG DURING A RECENT VISIT TO HAI PHONG AND QUANG NINH HAD ALREADY EXPERIENCED DIFFICULTIES IDENTIFYING OUR RETURNEES AND THAT THE LOCAL AUTHORITIES HAD BEEN UNABLE TO SORT OUT THE PROBLEMS WITHOUT PHOTOGRAPHS. KHANH SAID THAT THE VIETNAMESE WOULD NEED TWO WEEKS FROM THE DATE OF SIGNING AN AGREEMENT ON MONEY TO THE RETURN OF THE FIRST BATCH. I INDICATED THAT I WAS NOT IMPRESSED BY THIS AND THAT IT RAN COUNTER TO EVERYTHING THAT I HAD PREVIOUSLY BEEN TOLD ABOUT STICKING TO OUR AGREED SCHEDULE. I HAD SPECIFICALLY BEEN TOLD THAT FOR THIS FIRST SMALL BATCH THE REVISED LIST BASED ON HONG
KONG'S TELEGRAMS 448- 474 WOULD BE SUFFICIENT ALTHOUGH FORMS AND PHOTOS SHOULD BE SENT WELL IN ADVANCE IN THE FUTURE (PLEASE NOTE). KHANH THEN SAID THAT THIS PROBLEM AND THE PROBLEM OF MONEY WERE RELATED AND BOTH SHOULD BE DEALT WITH AT THE SAME TIME. THEREFORE I THINK THAT HE WAS ONLY TEASING ME A LITTLE. HE ULTIMATELY ACCEPTED THAT WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO PLAN THE FIRST FLIGHT FOR 3-5 DAYS AFTER SIGNING A FINANCIAL AGREEMENT.
4.
KHANH KNEW ABOUT THE TELEPHONE CALL FROM THE MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND SAID THAT I SHOULD CONTINUE TO TALK TO THEM AND INCREASE OUR OFFER. HE REHEARSED SOME OF THE VIETNAMESE ARGUMENTS FOR GOING HIGHER (BASICALLY PARITY WITH THE UNHCR ARRANGEMENTS) AND FOR WHAT IT WAS WORTH I PUT FORWARD OUR VIEWS. I ADDED THAT I HAD MADE AN OFFER OF 600 DOLLARS VERY MUCH IN THE INTEREST OF REACHING SPEEDY AGREEMENT AND HAD STRESSED QUITE CLEARLY AT THE TIME THAT IT WAS NOT FURTHER NEGOTIABLE. I TOLD KHANH THAT I HAD
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