CONFIDENTIAL
FM HONG KONG
TO PRIORITY FCO
TELNO 186
OF 17105OZ JANUARY 89
INFO PRIORITY PEKING
CONFIDENTIAL
VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE IN HONG KONG
164
ST
(14
173403
MDLIAN 9132
MFD 243/9
17 JAN 1989
1. THE LOCAL CHINESE PRESS TODAY (17 JANUARY) GAVE EXTENSIVE COVERAGE TO WHAT JI PENG-FEI, LI HOU AND ZHOU NAN SAID ON THE PROBLEM OF VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE IN HONG KONG WHEN INTERVIEWED
BY REPORTERS IN GUANGZHOU ON 16 JANUARY.
Л
2. JI WAS QUOTED AS SAYING THAT THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT HAD
ALREADY RAISED WITH THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT THE NEED TO RESOLVE THE VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE PROBLEM SO THAT IT WOULD NOT BE LEFT AS A
BURDEN FOR THE FUTURE SAR GOVERNMENT. HE ACCEPTED THAT THERE WAS NO IMMEDIATE SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM, AND THAT IT COULD ONLY BE RESOLVED GRADUALLY.
3. LI WAS QUOTED AS SAYING THAT BRITAIN SHOULD BE HELD
RESPONSIBLE FOR RESOLVING HK'S VIETNAMESE REFUGEE PROBLEM BECAUSE BRITAIN HAD MADE HONG KONG A PLACE OF FIRST ASYLUM. HOWEVER, HONG KONG COULD NOT BE CHANGED FROM A PLACE OF FIRST ASYLUM TO A PLACE OF PERMANENT ASYLUM FOR VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE. HE ADDED THAT
CHINA HAD NOTED THE DISCONTENT EXPRESSED BY THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG
ABOUT THE VBP PROBLEM.
4. ZHOU WAS QUOTED AS EXPRESSING THE HOPE THAT THE VBP PROBLEM IN
HONG KONG WOULD BE RESOLVED BEFORE 1997. HE SAID THAT CHINA'S CONCERN ON THE PROBLEM WOULD BE REFLECTED THROUGH THE JLG.
5. THE LEFT-WING NEWSPAPER WEN WEI PAO QUOTED AUTHORITATIVE SOURCES AS SAYING THAT THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT HAD INDICATED TO THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT THAT ALTHOUGH THE PROBLEM OF THE VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE IN HONG KONG MIGHT NOT BE RESOLVED IN ONE OR TWO DAYS, IT SHOULD BE RESOLVED BEFORE 1997. THIS INTERNATIONAL OBLIGATION INCURRED BEFORE 1997 SHOULD NOT BE ONE FOR THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT
TO SHOULDER AFTER 1997.
COMMENT
THESE ARE NOT THE FIRST REFERENCES TO THE UK'S OBLIGATION TO SOLVE
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