CONFIDENTIAL
FM HANOI
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
TELNO 112
OF 080800Z MARCH 89
CONFIDENTIAL
! MED 24319
016777
MDHIAN 6026
COPY AST ?
INFO IMMEDIATE KUALA LUMPUR, HONG KONG
INFO ROUTINE BANGKOK, UKMIS GENEVA
(94)
MY TELNOS 109 AND 110: VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE
1. IN ANSWER TO MY QUESTIONS AT LUNCH, MR CAN SAID THAT HE WAS ANNOYED THAT THE BBC HAD CONCENTRATED ON ONLY A TIN PART OF WHAT HE HAD SAID, AND HAD MISREPRESENTED HIM: VIETNAMESE POLICY ON NON-VOLUNTARY REPATRIATION WAS CLEAR, AS HE SPOKE HOWEVER HE GRINNED HUGELY AND LAUGHED A GOOD DEAL. I AM DRAWN TO THE CONCLUSION THAT HE DID INDEED SPEAK ON THE LINES REPORTED BY ELLIOTT OF THE FT, AND PRESUMUBLY HAWKSLEY OF THE BBC AND WAS TOLD SUBSEQUENTLY TO TOE THE OFFICIAL PUBLIC LINE. HE IS CLEARLY NOT IN DISGRACE: IT WAS HIS LUNCH (FOR THE UNHCR REPRESENTATIVE AND MYSELF) AND HE EXUDED CONFIDENCE.
2. I ASSUME THAT FOR THE TIME BEING THE VIETNAMESE WILL MAINTAIN THEIR LINE IN NEGOTIATING WITH THE OUTSIDE WORLD. I AM RATHER MORE INCLINED NOW TO BELIEVE THAT THEIR REASONING HAS TO DO WITH THE PROBLEM OF THE 250,000 VIETNAMESE REFUGEES IN CHINA (PARAGRAPH 4 OF MY TELNO 94). CASELLA OF THE UNHCR INDICATED TO ME YESTERDAY THAT THE CHINESE HAVE RAISED THE QUESTION WITH THE VIETNAMESE IN THE RECENT PAST.
3. ON THE TIMING OF THE NEXT BATCH OF VOLUNTARY REPATRIATES, I COULD GET NO MORE FROM CAN THAN THAT HE HOWED THAT THIS COULD BE ARRANGED IN A MONTH.
DAVIES
YYYY
ΜΑΙΝ
96
DISTRIBUTION
102
.VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE IN HK
LIMITED
HKD
NEWS
PS
PS/LORD GLENARTHUR
PAGE
1
CONFIDENTIAL
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.