CONFIDENTIAL
FM FCO
TO PRIORITY HONG KONG
TELNO 470
OF 02153OZ FEBRUARY 89
INFO PRIORITY PEKING
CONFIDENTIAL
TRANSFERRED
HKD 243/5
H
143064
MDLOAN 0925
YOUR TELNO 549 AND PEKING TELNO 254: ECVIIS AND VBPS
1.
WE ARE GENERALLY CONTENT WITH THE LINE WHICH YOU PROPOSE PEKING SHOULD TAKE WITH THE MFA. BUT BEFORE THEY DO SO, WE SHOULD BE GRATEFUL FOR CLARIFICATION OF POSITION ON THE FANG CHENG CASES (PARA 2C OF TUR).
2.
WE WELL RECALL OUR ATTEMPTS IN 1988 TO PERSUADE THE CHINESE TO ACCEPT THE RETURN OF SOME FANG CHENG CASES. WE ALSO RECALL CONCERN EXPRESSED BY UNHCR ABOUT CONDITIONS IN FANG CHENG. OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE POSITION IS THAT THE CHINESE NEVER AGREED TO ACCEPT THE REPATRIATION OF THE 1988 FANG CHENG CASES AS THEY WERE NOT REFUGEES WHO HAD SETTLED ON THE MAINLAND (PEKING TELNO 626) AND THAT UNHCR DECIDED TO RESETTLE FROM HONG KONG ALL SUCH CASES TOGETHER WITH THE REMAINING CASES IN FANG CHENG ITSELF (YOUR TELNO 2755). IT WOULD BE HELPFUL TO KNOW WHETHER YOU HAVE DISCUSSED THE LATEST CASES WITH UNHCR. WE WONDER WHETHER THEY ARE STILL CONCERNED ABOUT CONDITIONS IN FANG CHENG AND, IF SO WHETHER THEY WOULD WISH TO RESETTLE THE LATEST 22 CASES FROM HONG KONG, IN LINE WITH THEIR PREVIOUS DECISION.
3.
SUBJECT TO CLARIFICATION OF THE ABOVE POINTS, WE WOULD THEN NEED TO DECIDE WHETHER, AND IF SO HOW, TO COVER THE FANG CHENG CASES IN WHAT WE SAY TO THE CHINESE.
HOWE
YYYY
ΜΑΙΝ
93
DISTRIBUTION
99
.VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE IN HK
LIMITED
HKD
SEAD
PS
PS/LORD GLENARTHUR
PS/MRS CHALKER
PS/MR PATTEN ODA
PAGE
1
CONFIDENTIAL
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