TNAG-1969-FCO40-2802-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-refugees-repatriation-1989 — Page 90

A

For information

18.10.88)

ANNEX A TO XCC(89)7

NOTE FOR EXECUTIVE COUNCIL

XCCI(88)80 Copy No.

•

TALKS IN LONDON ON VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE

OCTOBER 1988

INTRODUCTION

On 11-12 October 1988, Mr Robin McLaren, Assistant Under-Secretary of State at the FCO led a joint UK/HK delegation in talks with Vietnamese officials in London on repatriation of Vietnamese

of Vietnamese Boat People (VBP) from Hong Kong. Also in the delegation were the Political Adviser (Mr R D Clift), the Secretary for Security (Mr G T Barnes), the head of the South-East Asian Department, FCO (Mr D Colvin), and First Secretary at the British Embassy in Hanoi (Mr C Partridge). The Vietnamese side was led by Vu Khoan, an Assistant Minister at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

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The background to this round of talks and the outline of the UK/HK negotiation objectives were reported to Members in Memorandum XCC (88)75 at Annex A.

BACKGROUND

Objectives

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(a)

(b)

(c)

Our objectives for the second round of talks were to

persuade the Vietnamese to agree to receive back the volunteers as early as possible;

press the Vietnamese to take further action to prevent departures,

including

their co-operation in getting the deterrent message across in Vietnam;

obtain the Vietnamese agreement in principle that all those who were not screened in as refugees should return to Vietnam;

(d) make clear that reintegration assistance could only be discussed as part of an overall understanding on the problem as a whole, based on acceptance of point (c) above.

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