Mr McLaren
нко 243/9
FROM:
DH Colvin
South East Asian Department
DATE:
23 February 19 89
CC: Mr Paul, HKD
Mr Whitehead, News Department
REPATRIATION OF VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE: MEDIA COVERAGE
1
1. You recorded on your copy of Hanoi telegram 9 2 (attached) misgivings about encouraging ITN, BBC and Thames TV to cover
the first returns of the boat people to Vietnam. We agree that there could be adverse publicity although the risk should not be
too great because the refugees are all volunteers.
2. As you know, Hong Kong has been inundated with requests from
the local media to cover the event. We have arranged for Peter
Bean to go to Hanoi from Bangkok to help. Their British counterparts have been slower off the mark. But they might think it odd if we did not alert them, granted the level of public interest in the issue fuelled by the Governor's meeting with the Prime Minister
yesterday.
3. We are naturally hoping that publicity will discourage clandestine departures, encourage more volunteers to come forward and put pressure on the Vietnamese authorities to abide by their undertaking to treat the returnees properly. In short, this could be a case
where publicity of any kind would be useful.
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