FM HANOI
CONFIDENTIAL
TO DESKBY 120715Z FCO
TELNO 682
OF 12050OZ DECEMBER 89
CONFIDENTIAL
MKE
24319
TOP CO DIST
INFO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG, UKMIS GENEVA AND WASHINGTON
440
YOUR TELNO 414: VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE: REPATRIATION
4927
110117 MDHIAN 8706
1. THESE IS GRATIFYINGLY LITTLE TO REPORT: THE OPERATION COULD HARDLY HAVE PASSED OFF MORE SMOOTHLY. MUCH OF THE CREDIT FOR THIS SUCCESSFUL OUTCOME IS DUE TO THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT REPRESENTATIVES ON THE AIRCRAFT WHO CLEARLY DEALT WITH A POTENTIALLY EXPLOSIVE SITUATION WITH GREAT SENSITIVITY AND TACT. WE SHOULD RECOGNISE, TOO, THAT THE VIETNAMESE WERE ENTIRELY COOPERATIVE AND DID NOT SEEK TO MAKE DIFFICULTIES. EVEN THE ISSUE OF HOW MANY ESCORTS WERE ON THE AIRCRAFT WAS SMOOTHED OVER (MR CAN OF THE INTERIOR MINISTRY PRESSED ME HARD BEFORE THE ARRIVAL OF THE AIRCRAFT TO REVEAL HOW MANY POLICEMEN WERE ON THE FLIGHT, AND DID NO MORE THAN LOOK GLUM WHEN I EVENTUALLY INDICATED
THAT THERE MIGHT BE AS MANY AS A HUNDRED. HE SOUGHT AN ASSURANCE ONLY THAT THEY WOULD NOT SHOW THEMSELVES)
2. THE AIRPORT HAD BEEN CLEARED OF MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC, AND THERE WERE NO MEDIA PEOPLE PRESENT. TWO HANG KOHNG VIETNAM FLIGHTS TO HO CHI MINH CITY WERE BOARDED AND TOOK OFF WHILE THE TRISTAR TAXIED TO THE APRON, THERE WERE THEREFORE NUMERIOUS FOREIGN AND VIETNAMESE WITNESSES TO THE ARRIVAL OF THE AIRCRAFT, BUT NOT OF THE DISEMBARKATION PROCESS. THERE WERE ONLY TWO POLICE PERSONNEL IN ATTENDANCE, BUT ALTOGETHER SOME 25 OR 30 OFFICIALS FROM INTERIOR, FOREIGN AFZAIRS AND LABOUR MINISTRIES WERE PRESENT.
3. NO FORCE AT ALL WAS USED AT THE AIRCRAFT DOOR, ON THE STEPS OR ON THE GROUND BY ANYBODY. THE RETURNEES LEFT THE AIRCRAFT WITHOUT EVEN ''GENTLE PERSUATION'' : SOME, EG. PREGNANT WOMAN AND ELDERLY LADY WERE HELPED DOWN BY HK IMMIGRATION SERVICE STAFF. (WE HAVE TAKEN A VIDEO FILM OF THE PROCEEDINGS AND A NUMBER OF STILL SHOTS, FOR RECORD. THE VIETNAMESE MINISTRY OF THE INTERIOR HAVE DONE THE SAME).
4. THE ONLY HICCOUGH OCCURRED WHEN A PIECE OF LUGGAGE WAS FOUND TO BE MISSING, WHEREUPON THE WOMAN CONCERNED, WHO HAD ALREADY LANDED,
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