CONFIDENTIAL
FM HONG KONG
TO PRIORITY FCO
TELNO 1355
OF 01090OZ MAY 89
CONFIDENTIAL
MKD 24319
(186
025152 MDLIAN 7330
TOP COPY
@ DIST ?
INFO PRIORITY UKMIS GENEVA, WASHINGTON, PEKING, HANOI, BANGKOK INFO PRIORITY KUALA LUMPUR, TOKYO
MY TELNOS 1337, 1338 AND 1346 (NOT TO ALL): VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE
MORE THAN 600 VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE ARRIVED IN HONG KONG OVER THE WEEKEND. THAT BRINGS THE TOTAL FOR APRIL TO NEARLY 4,500. SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THIS YEAR ARRIVALS HAVE BEEN RUNNING AT TWICE THE
LEVEL FOR LAST YEAR.
2. THESE LATEST FIGURES UNDERLINE THE VERY SERIOUS NATURE OF THE PROBLEM WE NOW FACE. IF ARRIVALS CONTINUE AT THIS RATE THE STRAIN ON BOTH OUR ABILITY TO COPE WITH ACCOMMODATION AND, EVEN MORE SIGNIFIC- ANT, THE WILLINGNESS OF THE COMMUNITY TO PROVIDE THE NECESSARY RESOURCES, WILL REACH BREAKING-POINT. TO AVERT THIS IMPENDING CRISIS, IT IS VITAL THAT, BY THE TIME OF THE GENEVA CONFERENCE AT LATEST, WE SHOULD HAVE IN PLACE ARRANGEMENTS TO COVER (A) RESETTLEMENT OF REFUGEES WITHIN A DEFIND TIME SCALE AND (B) A CLEAR INDICATION THAT REPATRIATION OF NON-REFUGEES IS IN SIGHT. IF (B) TURNS OUT TO BE LESS CLEAR-CUT THAN WE NEED TO HOLD THE SITUATION HERE, THEN THE ONLY VIABLE ALTERNATIVE WOULD APPEAR TO BE A REGIONAL HOLDING CENTRE.
·
3 I URGE THAT A MAJOR EFFORT SHOULD NOW BE MADE WITH UNHCR, THE PHILIPPINES (AS THE MOST LIKELY HOST) AND THE AMERICANS (AS BEST PLACED TO EXTEND THE NECESSARY PRESSURE) TO GET IN PLACE QUICKLY PLANS FOR A HOLDING CENTRE. ALSO THAT WE SHOULD NOT/NOT ALLOW THE ISSUE OF REPATRIATION TO BE SWEPT UNDER THE CARPET. DESPITE ALL THE POLITICAL DIFFICULTIES INVOLVED IN THIS APPROACH, I HAVE TO WARN THAT UNLESS EFFECTIVE MEASURES ARE SOON IN PLACE TO DEAL WITH THE CONTINUING PROBLEM OF MASSIVE ARRIVALS, THE CONSEQUENCES HERE WILL BE SERIOUS.
WILSON
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