TNAG-1905-FCO40-2709-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-refugees-voluntary-and-mandatory-repat-1989 — Page 321

CONFIDENTIAL

HKB 243/9.

82752

MDHIAN 2352

CONFIDENTIAL

FM HANOI

TO DESKBY 07103OZ FCO

TELNO 346

OF 07085OZ JULY 89

AND TO DESKBY 07103OZ HONG KONG

INFO IMMEDIATE UKMIS GENEVA

55

FCO TELNOS 237 AND 238: VBP: REPATRIATION

57

TOP COPY σ Q DIST ?

1.

I SAW CHUONG THIS MORNING BEFORE RECEIVING HONG KONG TELNO 2260. I AM SEEING HIM AGAIN TOMORROW AT 0700Z. I THEREFORE PRESENTED THE TEXT IN FCO TELNO 238 WITH ONE MINOR AMENDMENT. IN PARA B I OMITTED THE WORDS QUOTE NOT EXCEEDING US DOLLARS (BLANK) UNQUOTE AS I WAS NOT SURE WHAT THIS FIGURE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE. IF SOME KIND OF OVERALL TOTAL, THEN I DID NOT KNOW WHAT FIGURE TO SUGGEST. IF THE PER CAPITA COST, THEN THIS IS ADEQUATELY

COVERED IN PARA C.

2.

REFERENCE IN THE TEXT TO THE 26 JUNE AGREEMENT SUFFICIENTLY

DISTANCES THESE ARRANGEMENTS FROM THE. UNHCR PROGRAMME. HOWEVER,

I SHALL SUGGEST ADDING HONG KONG'S WORDS TO THE FIRST PREAMBULAR

PASSAGE WHEN I SEE CHUONG TOMORROW. FOLLOWING A TELECON WITH HKD

I WILL NOT YET SUGGEST CHANGING REFERENCE TO THE UK AND HONG KONG GOVERNMENTS TO THE BRITISH SIDE FROM PARA A ONWARDS. HOWEVER IF NECESSARY I DO NOT THINK THAT THIS WILL BE A PROBLEM.

3.

CHUONG AGREED THAT THE BASIC FORM OF THE TEXT WAS FINE (ALTHOUGH I WOULD NOT RULE OAT THE POSSIBILITY OF HIM REVERTING WITH SOME TEXTUAL CHANGES OF HIS OWN). WE THEREFORE CONCENTRATED

ON AGREEING A FIGURE FOR THE LIMIT OF PER CAPITA EXPENDITURE.

4.

I PRESENTED OUR ARGUMENTS AND OFFERED 400 US DOLLARS. CHUONG

SAID THAT HE WAS INSTRUCTED TO NEGOTIATE ON THE BASIS OF THE ''AGREEMENT'' BETWEEN FOREIGN MINISTERS THAT THE REINTEGRATION

ASSISTANCE SHOULD BE THE SAME AS THAT GIVEN BY THE UNHCR AND SUGGESTED 719 DOLLARS. I REPLIED THAT IT HAD BEEN AGREED ON 26 JUNE

AND WITH THACH IN LONDON THAT THE ASSISTANCE SHOULD BE BASED ON

THE UNHCR MODEL BUT THAT THERE WOULD BE ESSENTIAL DIFFERENCES. VIETNAMESE OFFICIALS WOULD NOT TRAVEL TO HONG KONG AND MUCH OF THE MACHINERY ALREADY IN PLACE FOR THE UNHCR PROGRAMME WILL NOT NEED TO BE DUPLICATED. WE WOULD THEREFORE EXPECT VIETNAMESE ADMINISTRATION COSTS TO BE LOWER AND, IN ANY CASE, IT WAS OUR BELIEF THAT ACTUAL

PAGE

1

CONFIDENTIAL