TNAG-1977-FCO40-2810-Arrivals-figures-and-procedures-for-Vietnamese-refugees-in-H-1989 — Page 128

CONFIDENTIAL

Mko 243/22

032512

MDHIAN 3098

CONFIDENTIAL

FM HANOI

TO DESKBY 0312OOZ FCO

TELNO 226

OF 03070OZ MAY

AND TO DESKBY 04003OZ HONG KONG

INFO ROUTINE UKMIS GENEVA AND PEKING

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HONG KONG TELNO 1386: VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE

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1. I HAD IN FACT ALREADY SOUGHT A CALL ON DINH NHO LIEM, FIRST DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER, TO EXPRESS OUT CONCERN AT THE APPALLING RISE RECENTLY IN THE NUMBER OF BOAT PEOPLE ARRIVALS IN HONG KONG AND TO ENSURE THAT HE WAS AWARE IN ADVANCE OF THE SITUATION HE MIGHT HIMSELF SEE IN HONG KONG. ALTHOUGH HE LEAVES TOMORROW (VIA BANGKOK AND THEN DIRECT TO PEKING) HE FOUND TIME THIS AFTERNOON TO SEE ME BRIEFLY. I RETAILED TO HIM THE LATEST FIGURES AND SAID THAT WE WERE DEEPLY CONCERNED THAT THE NUMBERS WERE NOW REACHING CRISIS POINT (SEMI-COLON) MORE WOULD HAVE TO BE DONE IN VIETNAM TO DISCOURAGE PEOPLE. I INFORMED HIM OF THE NEW FLOW ACROSS THE LAND BORDER, WHICH CLEARLY SURPRIZED HIM.

2. LIEM' RESPONSE WAS TO SAY THAT THE VIETNAMESE GOVERNMENT SHARED OUR CONCERN, HAD BEEN DOING A GREAT DEAL TO PUBLICISE THE FUTILITY ETC OF GOING TO HONG KONG AND HE PROMISED THAT THEY WOULD LOOK URGENTLY AT WHAT MORE THEY COULD DO IN PARTICULAR IN THE LEAD-UP TO THE JUNE CONFERNECE.

3. I SAID THAT OBVIOUSLY MY MAIN CONCERN WAS THE PROBLEM IN HONG KONG BUT THAT I WAS AWARE THAT THIS WAS NOW BECOMING A SERIOUS PROBLEM FOR VIETNAM IN THE SENSE THAT AT A TIME WHEN IT WAS SEEKING TO EMBELLISH ITS IMAGE ABORAD AND IN PARTICULAR TO PORTRAY VIETNAM AS A GOOD PLACE FOR FOREIGN INVESTMENT IT WAS PARTWCUGARLHL UNHELPFUL THAT THERE SHOULD BE VAST NUMBERS OF PEOPLE LEAVING THE COUNTRY CLADESTINELY ESSENTIALLY AS ECONOMIC IMMIGRANTS. I SAID THAT PEOPLE WERE BEGINNING TO TALK OF AN EXODUS SUCH AS HAD OCCURRED IN TZV 9970'S WITH ALL THE IMPLICATIONS THAT THAT HELD. I SAID THAT FOREIGN BUSINESSMEN WOULD LOOK AT THIS OUTFLOW AND WONDER VERY SERIOUSLY WHETHER ALL THE PUBLICITY ABOUT THE NEW ECONOMIC POLICIES AND THE POTENTIAL OF THE COUNTRY MADE ANY SENSE. LIEM RESPONDED THAT HE WAS ALL TOO AWARE THAT THIS WAS APROBLEM FOR VIETNAM TOO.

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