TNAG-1971-FCO40-2804-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-refugees-repatriation-1989 — Page 86

CONFIDENTIAL

130257 MDHIAN 9856

TOP COPY Q DIST ?

5 HKD 24379°

35)

CONFIDENTIAL

FM HONG KONG

TO IMMEDIATE FCO

TELNO 1115

OF 07120OZ APRIL 89

INFO PRIORITY UKMIS GENEVA, JAKARTA, HANOI, BANGKOK-

132, 33

(134)

YOUR TELNO 118-9 AND JAKARTA TELNO 183 : VBP IN HONG KONG

I FULLY UNDERSTAND THE DIFFICULTY OF PUSHING THE REPATRIATION ISSUE AND NERVOUSNESS ABOUT ESTABLISHING A PRECISE LINK BETWEEN THAT AND ECONOMIC AID. NEVERTHELESS IT IS IMPORTANT THAT WE SHOULD NOT UNDER-ESTIMATE THE SCALE AND NATURE OF THE PROBLEMS WE ARE ALMOST CERTAINLY ABOUT TO FACE IN COPING WITH A FURTHER INFLUX OF VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE. IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO ESCAPE THE CONCLUSION THAT PART OF THE SOLUTION MUST INCLUDE ARRANGEMENTS FOR, OR THE REASONABLY NEAR PROSPECT OF, SENDING BACK TO VIETNAM THOSE SCREENED OTHER PLACES OF FIRST ASYLUM IN THE REGION ARE LIKELY TO FEEL THE SAME IMPERATIVE.

OUT.

2.

VIETNAM SEEMS NOW TO BE LOOKING FOR WAYS OF RE-ESTABLISHING ECONOMIC CONTACTS WITH THE WEST. SEEN FROM HERE THIS PROVIDES US WITH BADLY NEEDED LEVERAGE TO ARGUE THAT PART OF THE PRICE THE VIETNAMESE MUST PAY FOR ACCEPTANCE IN THE WORLD ECONOMIC COMMUNITY

IS TO BEHAVE AS A RESPONSIBLE MEMBER OF THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY AND TAKE BACK, UNDER HUMANE ARRANGEMENTS, THOSE OF THEIR CITIZENS WHO HAVE GONE ILLEGALLY ELSEWHERE. THIS IS TO MAKE SLIGHTLY MORE EXPLICIT THE POINT SUGGESTED IN THE FIRST SENTENCE OF PARA 6(B) OF JAKARTA TUR.

3.

I WAS VERY INTERESTED TO SEE THE REFERENCE IN PARA 5 OF JAKARTA

TUR TO THE FILIPINOS SHOWING SOME WILLINGNESS TO USE BATAAN AS A REGIONAL HOLDING CENTRE. I WAS NOT AWARE OF THE DEVELOPMENT. IT THE FILIPINO WILLINGNESS COULD BE FIRMED UP, IT WOULD BE A MOST WELCOME MOVE. A CAMP TAKING THOSE SCREENED OUT IN HONG KONG WOULD SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCE THE ACCOMMODATION AND RELATED POLITICAL DIFFICULTIES REFERRED TO IN MY TELNO 1075. GRATEFUL TO KNOW IF ACTION IS BEING TAKEN TO ENCOURAGE THE FILIPINOS TO MAKE A FIRM OFFER.

WILSON