TNAG-1905-FCO40-2709-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-refugees-voluntary-and-mandatory-repat-1989 — Page 266

CONFIDENTIAL

CONFIDENTIAL

FM HONG KONG

TO DESKBY 13133OZ FCO

TELNO 2357

OF 13125OZ JULY 89

120647 MDHIAN 3121

НКВ 2+319 HKB

TOP COPY Q DIST

INFO PRIORITY WASHINGTON, UKMIS GENEVA, PARIS, CANBERRA, TOKYO INFO PRIORITY BANGKOK, BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, JAKARTA, KUALA LUMPUR INFO PRIORITY MANILA, SINGAPORE, HANOI

92

HANOI TELNO 66 AND WASHINGTON TELNO 1874 TO FCO (NOT TO ALL) : VBP

REPATRIATION : ADVANCE BRIEFING

PRESUMING THE PRACTICAL DETAILS CAN BE WORKED OUT, I AGREE WITH TUR THAT WHEN YOU MEET BAKER IN PARIS YOU WILL HAVE TO GIVE HIM ADVANCE WARNING THAT WE ARE GOING AHEAD. I RECOMMEND HOWEVER THAT

YOU SIMPLY REFER TO THE QUOTE NEAR FUTURE UNQUOTE RATHER THAN GIVE

AN ACTUAL DATE. HANOI'S TUR SUGGESTS THAT IT MAY IN FACT HAVE TO BE THE 19TH NOT THE 17TH, WHICH WOULD OF COURSE GIVE THE AMERICANS TWO DAYS MORE TO MOBILIZE ANY OBSTRUCTIVE ACTION.

I SHOULD BE GRATEFUL IF PARIS COULD LET ME KNOW AS SOON AS

POSSIBLE WHETHER YOU HAVE SPOKEN TO BAKER AND IN WHAT TERMS SO THAT

2.

I CAN INFORM THE US CONSUL GENERAL HERE. HE IS WELL DISPOSED AND I

SHOULD LIKE TO KEEP HIM IN THE PICTURE. BUT SINCE HE WILL REPORT

BACK IMMEDIATELY AND EVERY REPORT INCREASES THE RISK OF A LEAK, I

DO NOT WISH TO ACT EARLIER THAN NECESSARY.

3.

WE PROPOSE TO BRIEF THE AUSTRALIANS ON MONDAY AFTERNOON (17TH)

BECAUSE OF THEIR ROBUST SUPPORT AND THE UNLIKELIHOOD OF THEM LEAKING. WE FEEL WE SHOULD ALSO BRIEF THE JAPANESE TO ENCOURAGE THEM TO STAY

ONSIDE DESPITE WHAT WILL UNDOUBTEDLY BE STRONG AMERICAN PRESSURE.

BUT IN NEITHER CASE WILL WE GIVE THE EXACT DATE.

4.

WE WILL NEED WHATEVER HELPFUL STATEMENTS WE CAN GET FROM ASEAN. TO THIS END I SHOULD BE GRATEFUL IF ASEAN POSTS COULD BE INSTRUCTED TO BRIEF THEIR HOST GOVERNMENTS ALONG THE FOLLOWING LINES CON

TIMING SEE BELOW) :

WE HAVE MADE RAPID PROGRESS IN OUR BILATERAL DISCUSSIONS WITH THE VIETNAMESE CONCERNING THE EARLY REPATRIATION OF VIETNAMESE NOT

FOUND TO BE REFUGEES. THIS IS IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE PRINCIPLES ENDORSED BY THE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON INDO-CHINESE REFUGEES

HELD IN GENEVA IN JUNE THIS YEAR THAT PERSONS FOUND NOT TO BE

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CONFIDENTIAL