CONFIDENTIAL
17356
MDHIA 8966
RESPONSIBILITY OF THE BRITISH: THEY SHOULD NEGOTIATE WITH VIETNAM.
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7 IN RESPONSE TO THE INEVITABLE PRESS QUERIES ABOUT OUR REACTION TO WHAT LI HAS SAID, WE HAVE ISSUED A QUOTE SPOKESMAN UNQUOTE STATEMENT AS IN MIFT.
8. THESE LATEST COMMENTS BY LI HOU ARE DISTINCTLY UNHELPFUL. BOTH BECAUSE HE IS A SENIOR OFFICIAL IN THE HONG KONG MACAU OFFICE AND BECAUSE MANY OF HIS SENTIMENTS WILL BE SHARED BY SUBSTANTIAL NUMBERS OF PEOPLE IN HONG KONG, THEY COMPOUND OUR PROBLEMS IN DEALING WITH AN ALREADY DIFFICULT SITUATION. ALTHOUGH HE WAS DOUBTLESS UNDER PRESSURE FROM PROBING HONG KONG JOURNALISTS, HIS REMARKS CAN ALL TOO EASILY BE SEEN, AND WILL BE COMMENTED ON, AS CROSSING THE BOUNDARY LINE OF INTERFERENCE IN LOCAL AFFAIRS. ZHOU NAN MANAGED TO TREAD A MORE CAREFUL COURSE.
9. WE HAVE BEEN DELIBERATELY CAREFUL IN THE RESPONSE WE
HAVE MADE TO PRESS ENQUIRIES ABOUT OUR REACTION. WITH SUCH DETAILED COMMENTS AND CRITICISMS SPREAD OVER TWO DAYS I DO NOT BELIEVE HOWEVER THAT WE CAN LET MATTERS REST SIMPLY WITH THIS RESPONSE. I RECOMMEND THAT PEKING SHOULD SPEAK TO THE MFA: EXPRESS CONCERN THAT LI HOU'S REMARKS WILL FURTHER COMPLICATE THE VERY DIFFICULT
SITUATION WE HAVE TO FACE WITH PRESSURE FROM VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE, ECVIIS "AND "CHINESE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS AND DRAW ON THE
FOLLOWING POINTS:
A)
LI'S REMARKS SUGGEST A MISUNDERSTANDING OF THE NATURE AND PURPOSE
OF RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN OUR POLICY ON BOAT PEOPLE.
B) AS WE HAVE PREVIOUSLY EXPLAINED TO THE CHINESE, THE POLICY OF QUOTE LIBERALISATION UNQUOTE OF REFUGEE CENTRES DOES NOT (NOT) APPLY TO BOAT PEOPLE ARRIVING SINCE 16 JUNE WHO HAVE BEEN SCREENED OUT AS ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS. THESE PEOPLE ARE KEPT IN DETENTION PENDING REPATRIATION TO VIETNAM. OUR POLICY IN ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS FROM VIETNAM DOES NOT THEREFORE DIFFER IN PRINCIPLE FROM THAT AFFECTING OTHER COUNTRIES, INCLUDING CHINA, ALTHOUGH SO FAR WE HAVE A REAL PRACTICAL DIFFICULTY SINCE WE HAVE NOT YET BEEN ABLE TO MAKE
ARRANGEMENTS FOR WHOLESALE REPATRIATION.
C)
LIBERALISATION ONLY APPLIES TO VIETNAMESE REFUGEES (PRE 16 JUNE 1988 ARRIVALS AND THOSE POST 15 JUNE 1988 ARRIVALS WHO HAVE BEEN SCREENED IN AS REFUGEES). CATEGORISING PRE 16 JUNE ARRIVALS AS REFUGEES DERIVES FROM THE UN CONFERENCE OF 1979. BEFORE 1982 THESE PEOPLE LIVED IN OPEN CAMPS. EVEN FOR SUCH PEOPLE THE NEW MEASURES
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