04
CONFIDENTIAL
035735 MDHIAN 3255
CONFIDENTIAL
FM HANOI
TO DESKBY 04130OZ FCO
TELNO 230
OF 0409OOZ MAY 89
INFO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG
RECE
INFO ROUTINE UKMIS GENEVA AND WASHINGTON
YOUR TELNO 174: VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE
INC
-7
SPY GIST ?
243/22
4 MAY 1989
3
1 I CALLED THIS AFTERNOON ON LE CHAN, DEPUTAWEF IBTOR OF EUROPE 2 DEPT MFA WHO WAS IN ATTENDANCE YESTERDAY WHEN CALLED ON TIEM AND HAD INDEED BEEN INSTRUMENTAL IN ENSURING THAT THAT CALL TOOK PLACE. I EXPLAINED THAT I HAD BEEN INSTRUCTED TO CALL AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL AND TO MAKE THE POINTS WHICH I DESCRIBED TO HIM IN DETAIL. CHAN MADE A PARTICULAR NOTE OF THE FURTHER MEASURES (A) TO (D) IN TUR. I SAID THAT I OUGHT IN THE CIRCUMSTANCES TO SEEK TO CALL ON THE MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OR PERHAPS EVEN THE MINISTER OF THE INTERIOR. CHAN SAID THAT IN HIS PERSONAL VIEW IT WAS UNCESSARY TO CALL ON THE MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS SINCE I HAD ONLY YESTERDAY CALLED ON THE FIRST DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER. INSISTENCE ON SUCH A CALL NOW COULD BE MISINTERPRESTED AS, IN EFFECT, CONFRONTATIONAL, WHEN IN FACT THE VIETNAMESE AUTHORITIES WERE DOING THEIR BEST TO BE COOPERATIVE. I AGREED THAT THE VIETNAMESE SIDE WERE BEING COOPERATIVE BUT SAID THAT CLEARLY MUCH MORE NEEDED TO BE DONE TO STEM THE OUTFLOW AND THAT HMG NEEDED TO BE ABLE TO SHOW IN THE UK AND IN HK THAT IT WAS DOING ALL IT COULD TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM INDISCUSSION WITH THE VIETNAMESE GOVERNMENT. WITHOUT INSISTING AT THIS STAGE I RESERVED THE RIGHT TO REVERT TO A CALL ON THE MINISTER (I WAS GUIDED PARTLY BY THE NEAR-CERTAINTY THAT I SHALL BE ABLE TO SPEAK WITH THACH TOMORROW AT THE CZECH NATIONAL DAY PARTY).
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2. WHEN I RAISED AGAIN THE POSSIBILITY OF CALLING ON THE MINISTER OF THE INTERIOR, CHAN LOOKED HIGHLY DUBIOUS. THIS IS NOT SURPRISING, MAI CHI THO IS BY ALL ACCOUNTS A POLITICAL NEANDERTHAL. I THEREFORE PROPOSED THAT REPRESENTATIVES OF THE MINISTERY OF THE INTERIOR, THE MFA AND ANY OTHER STATE ORGANS MIGHT SIT ROUND A TABLE WITH ME INFORMALLY TO DISCUSS THE WHOLE PROBLEM AND PERHAPS COME UP WITH SOME NEW IDEAS. AFTER SOME DISCUSSION, IT WAS LEFT THAT CHAN WOULD ALERT THOSE MOST CONCERNED AND THAT I WOULD PUT ON AN INFORMAL WORKING DINNER ON MONDAY 8
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