TNAG-1908-FCO40-2712-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-refugees-voluntary-and-mandatory-repat-1989 — Page 141

Mr Paul, HK

HKD

CONFIDENTIAL

403

HKB

24319

Vietnamese Boat People

The Secretary of State has been thinking further about the problem of Vietnamese Boat People and has asked for an office meeting at 3.30pm on Tuesday 28 November. He would like to go through some of the practical points involved, for example:

(a) the question of the RAF plane;

(b)

(c)

(d)

the date for the first return of non-volunteers;

the state of play on getting MPS to help with monitoring; and

what needs to be done to improve the Vietnamese ability to take people back at the rate we wish to send them.

On the last point, the Secretary of State is struck that it is taking so long to send back the volunteers who have come forward. If the problem is the Vietnamese capacity to absorb returnees (a point which I think both you and Mr McLaren have made at past meetings), we should look thoroughly at what could and should be done about this if we

to achieve our objective of a steady return flow of both volunteers and non-volunteers.

24 November 1989

(R N Peirce)

CC:

PS/Mr Maude

Mr Gillmore

Mr McLaren

Mr Colvin, SEAD

Mr Burns, News Dept

CONFIDENTIAL

pc

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