TNAG-1905-FCO40-2709-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-refugees-voluntary-and-mandatory-repat-1989 — Page 97

CONFIDENTIAL FROM HANOI

156666

MDHIAN 4783

166

HKCB 243 la

CONFIDENTIAL

FROM HANOI

TO IMMEDIATE FCO

AND TO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG

INFO IMMEDIATE UKMIS GENEVA

TELNO 393

OF 270715A JUL 89

MY 388 OF 25 JULY: VBP: REPATRIATION

TOP COPY Q DIST ?

1) BANGKOK'S 496 OF 25 JULY CROSSED WITH MY TUR ALTHOUGH CHUONG WAS IN RETROSPECT CLEARLY RESPONDING TO THO'S ACCOUNT OF YOUR MEETING WITH HIM. I HAVE TAKEN YOUR 496 AS INSTRUCION TO AGREE TO 620 DOLLARS FOR THE FIRST BATCH OF RETURNEES AND THIS MORNING I SAW SEPARATELY BOTH NGUYEN CONG KHANH OF THE CONSULAR DEPARTMENT OF THE MFA AND NGHIEM XUAN THE, DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF THE INTERNAT- IONAL RELATIONS DEPARTMENT FXX OF THE MFA. THE LATTER IS INFI- NITELY EASIER TO DEAL WITH THAN CHUONG. CHUONG WAS HOWEVER PRESENT.

2.) TUE PRESENTED A NEW VERSION OF ANN AGREED MINUTE TO COVER THE FIRST RETURNS. I PROPOSED A NUMBER OF ALTERATIONS MOST OF WHICH TUE ACCEPTED WITHOUT DIFFICULTY AND WE AGREED A DRAFT FOR REFERRAL TO OUR GOVERNMENTS (TEXT IN MIFT). WE AGREED TO RE- COMMEND STRONGLY THAT THIS TEXT NOW BE AGREED WITHOUT FURTHER AMENDMENT. THE DRAFT IS NOT PERFECT AND THE ENGLISH IN A LITTLE PECULIAR (WE WORKED ON A VIETNAMESE VERSION) BUT IT SEEMS OK TO ME.

3) I MADE SURE THAT KHNH, TUE AND CHUONG WERE ALL UP TO DATE WITH RECENT DEVELOPMENTS. KHANH SAID THAT HE UNDERSTOOD AND SYMPATHISED WITH HONG KONG'S DIFFICULTIES IN SELECTING A FIRST BATCH OF RETURNEES, BOKKING AIRCRAFT ETC. BUT SAID THAT THE VI- ETNAMESE SIDE WAS KEEN TO PROCEED AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE. I SAID THAT ONE UNDESIREABLE SOURCE OF DELAY WAS THE TIME TAKEN FOR THE RETURNEES PERSONAL DETAILS AND PHOTOGRAPHS TO REACH US BY BAG FROM HONG KONG VIA BANGKOK. IF ONL FOR THE FIRST FLIGHT WOULD THE VIETNAMESE SIDE ACCEPT AT FIRST ONLY THE INFORMATION THAT HONG KONG CAN SEND BY TELEGRAM WHICH IS IN FACT EVERYTHING BUT THE PHOTOGRAPHS. KHANH AGREED AND SO LATER DID TUE. KHANH SAID THAT THE COMPLETED FORMS AND PHOTOGRAPHS SHOULD STILL BE SENT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE BUT DID NOT DISAGREE WHEN IS SUGGESTED THAT IF TIME REALLY DOES NOT PERMIT THEM TO COME VIA BANGKOK THEY COULD ACCOMPANY THE RETURNEES ON THE AIRCRAFT.

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CONFIDENTIAL FROM HANOI