TNAG-1968-FCO40-2801-Hong-Kong-illegal-immigrants-from-China--originally-Vietname-1989 — Page 44

CONFIDENTIAL

MKD 2431S

ca

157325

MDLIAN 7860

CONFIDENTIAL

FM HONG KONG

TO PRIORITY FCO

TELNO 14 1

OF 12084OZ JANUARY 89

AND TO PRIORITY PEKING

8

YOUR TELNO 20 TO PEKING : ECVIIS

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COPY BIT ?

1. POLITICAL ADVISER SPOKE TO JI SHAOXIANG OF NCNA ON 12 JANUARY AND PUT THE PROPOSAL THAT A TEAM OF HK OFFICIALS SHOULD VISIT NANNING TO DISCUSS REPATRIATION. HE EXPLAINED THAT THE EMBASSY WERE

SPEAKING IN PARALLEL TO THE MFA.

2.

JI UNDERTOOK TO PASS THE MESSAGE. HE COMMENTED THAT IT WAS A GOOD THING THAT WE WERE MAKING AN APPROACH IN PEKING SINCE HE THOUGHT

THAT THERE MIGHT BE PROBLEMS OF QUOTE PRINCIPLE UNQUOTE. IN THE PAST THE CENTRAL AUTHORITIES HAD SEEN DIFFICULTY IN THE HKG HAVING

DIRECT DEALINGS WITH ANY OTHER PROVINCE BESIDES GUANGDONG.

3. CLIFT URGED JI TO RECOMMEND MAXIMUM FLEXIBILITY ON THIS POINT. THERE WAS ALREADY AGREEMENT (AGUSUT 1987) THAT ALL ECVIIS SHOULD GO BACK AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE. WE HAD IN FACT ALREADY HAD CONTACT WITH GUANGXI ON THE SUBJECT SINCE TWO OFFICIALS HAD COME FROM NANNING TO GUANGZHOU FOR THE 1987 TALKS. BUT IN ANY CASE THERE WAS A COMMON INTEREST IN HANDLING THE MATTER AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE. FACE TO FACE

TALKS COULD HELP UNDERSTANDING AND SPEED UP IMPLEMENTATION.

WILSON

YYYY

ΜΑΙΝ

92

DISTRIBUTION

98

.VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE IN HK

PS

PS/MRS CHALKER

PS/LORD GLENARTHUR

PS/MR PATTEN ODA

PS MR EGGAR

PS/PUS

LIMITED

HKD

SEAD

UND

LEGAL ADVISERS

PAGE

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CONFIDENTIAL