TNAG-1916-FCO40-2720-Accommodation-for-Vietnamese-refugees-in-Hong-Kong-1989 — Page 83

CONFIDENTIAL

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154323

MDHIAN 7477

CONFIDENTIAL

FM HONG KONG

(CORRECTED VERSION)

HKB 243/30

TO IMMEDIATE FCO

TELNO 1811

C5JUN421

OF 02110OZ JUNE 89

AND TO IMMEDIATE UKMIS GENEVA

INFO IMMEDIATE WASHINGTON, HANOI, PEKING, OTTAWA, CANBERRA INFO IMMEDIATE BANGKOK, SINGAPORE, BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, MANILA INFO IMMEDIATE JAKARTA, KUALA LUMPUR

Temp.

VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE

THERE HAVE BEEN 500 ARRIVALS TODAY AND THE POPULATION ON THE SOKOS NOW STANDS AT 1000. ALL NEW ARRIVALS OVER THE WEEKEND WILL BE TAKEN TO THE SOKOS AND WE SHALL TRY TO MOVE SOME TO GREEN ISLAND EARLY NEXT WEEK.

WE HAD HOPED TO MOVE A FURTHER 500 PEOPLE FROM GREEN ISLAND TO THE TENTS AT WHITEHEAD TODAY, THEREBY MAKING ROOM AT GREEN ISLAND FOR PROCESSING SOME OF THOSE PEOPLE NOW AT THE SOKOS. HOWEVER, 5000 PEOPLE AT THE MAIN WHITEHEAD CAMP BEGAN A HUNGER STRIKE YESTERDAY: WHICH HAS CONTINUED TODAY. CSD ARE NOT ABLE TO ACCEPT THE FURTHER

500 PEOPLE AT WHITEHEAD UNTIL THE PROTEST ENDS.

THE WHITEHEAD HUNGER STRIKERS ARE PROTESTING ABOUT THE SCREEING POLICY AND THE PROSPECT OF REPATRIATION. WE HAVE REPORTED THAT THE PROTEST WILL SPREAD TO OTHER CAMPS NEXT WEEK AND THAT WE CAN EXPECT SOME FORM OF PROTEST TO CONTINUE UP TO THE GENEVA CONFERENCE. THE TRIGGER SEEMS TO HAVE BEEN A LEAFLET WHICH HAS BEEN DISTRIBUTED WIDELY IN THE CAMPS. THE LEAFLET IS CRITICAL OF THE SCREENING POLICY AND THE CPA AND SEEMS TO HAVE BEEN DISTRIBUTED BY VOLUNTARY WORKERS.

ATLEAST ONE OF THE UNHCR'S INTERPRETERS SEEMS TO HAVE BEEN INVOLVED

AND WE AND THE UNHCR ARE NOW CHECKING ON THE SOURCE.

WILSON

YYYY

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