CONFIDENTIAL
MKD 24319
007402
92
MDHIAN 5613
CONFIDENTIAL
FM KUALA LUMPUR
TO DESKBY 071200Z FCO
TELNO 148
OF 07115OZ MARCH
INFO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG, UKMIS GENEVA
INFO PRIORITY BANGKOK, HANOI, WASHINGTON, CANBERRA INFO PRIORITY OTTAWA, TOKYO, PEKING, PARIS
INFO ROUTINE JAKARTA, SINGAPORE, MANILA, UKMIS NEW YORK
FROM UK/HK DELEGATION
PREPCON ON INDO-CHINA REFUGEES: DAY 1
SUMMARY
1. CONSTRUCTIVE OPENING STATEMENTS ON GENERAL THEME THAT TIME IS RIPE FOR DEFINITIVE SOLUTION. BUT VIETNAM FORCED TO STATE OPPOSITION TO FORCIBLE/INVOLUNTARY REPATRIATION IN PLENARY. CONFERENCE ADJOURNED FOR OVERNIGHT REFLECTION.
DETAIL
2. THE PREPCON WAS OPENED BY THE MALAYSIAN DEPUTY (CURRENTLY ACTING) PRIME MINISTER, GHATAR BABA AND MALAYSIA WAS ELECTED TO THE CHAIR.
3. TWENTY TWO OUT OF SOME THIRTY DELEGATIONS MADE OPENING STATEMENTS WHICH WERE CONSTRUCTIVE IN TONE. (U/K STATEMENT FAXED TO FCO, HONG KONG, UKMIS GENEVA AND BANGKOK). THE GENERAL THEME WAS THAT THE TIME WAS NOW RIPE FOR A DEFINITIVE SOLUTION TO THE BOAT PEOPLE PROBLEM WHICH WAS NOW MORE ECONOMIC THAN POLITICAL IN CHARACTER. NOBODY SPOKE AGAINST THE DRAFT DECLARATION AND COMPREHENSIVE PLAN OF ACTION (CPA) ALTHOUGH VIETNAM REFERED TO TWO POINTS OF CONTINUING DIFFICULTY ( DEFINITION OF REFUGEES AND THE FATE OF THE SCREENED OUT). ALL DELEGATIONS WERE CAREFUL TO STEP ROUND THE THORNIEST ISSUE, INVOLUNTARY OR FORCEIBLE REPATRIATION.
4. AFTER A BREAK, THE CHAIR SOUGHT TO HAVE THE CPA ADOPTED BY THE ACCLAMATION ON THE BASIS THAT IT WAS A CAREFULLY BALANCED COMPROMISE WHICH AMENDMENT WOULD DESTROY. THIS LED THE VIETNAMESE TO CLARIFY IN PLENARY THE NATURE OF THEIR DIFFICULTIES. VU KHOAN REFERRED TO THE 1969 OAU DEFINITION AND OBSERVED THAT A DEFINITION FOR ASIA WAS REQUIRED. HE THEN SAID THAT INVOLUNTARY OR FORCIBLE REPATRIATION WAS QUOTE IMPOSSIBLEUNQUOTE AND WOULD BE CONDEMNED THE WORLD OVER.
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CONFIDENTIAL
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