CONFIDENTIAL
FM FCO
TO DESKBY 03233OZ PEKING
TELNO 392
OF 031645Z MAY 89
CONFIDENTIAL
мко 243/22
034104
MDHOAN 0366
TOP COPY C DIST ?
AND TO DESKBY 04010OZ HONG KONG
INFO DESKBY 04013OZ HANOI
INFO IMMEDIATE UKMIS GENEVA, WASHINGTON
Q
PEKING TELNOS 1350 AND 1386
VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE: FURTHER ACTION WITH THE CHINESE
B
1 MINISTERS HAVE STRONGLY ENDORSED THE RECOMMENDATION FOR FURTHER ACTION WITH THE CHINESE. THE LATEST ARRIVAL FIGURES, TOGETHER WITH THE STRONG LIKELIHOOD THAT HUNDREDS IF NOT THOUSANDS MORE ARE
ALREADY ON THEIR WAY, MAKE IT IMPERATIVE THAT WE SHOULD LOSE NO OPPORTUNITY TO UNDERLINE OUR DEEP CONCERN. THERE CAN BE LITTLE DOUBT THAT THE CHINESE COULD DO MORE TO PREVENT THOSE ALREADY EN ROUTE FROM ARRIVING IN HONG KONG IF THEY REALLY WANTED TO DO SO. IN PARTICULAR THEY SHOULD BE ABLE TO DETAIN INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE ENTERED CHINA ILLEGALLY AND WHO UNDERTAKE A LENGTHY JOURNEY
OVERLAND.
2. YOU SHOULD THEREFORE SEEK AN EARLY MEETING WITH VICE MINISTER ZHOU NAN TO REITERATE THE POINTS IN MY MESSAGE TO QIAN QICHEN, AND TO GIVE THEM THE LATEST ARRIVAL STATISTICS IN HONG KONG. YOU SHOULD MAKE
PARTICULAR REFERENCE TO THE NEW PHENOMENON, ABOUT WHICH MINISTERS ARE PARTICULARLY CONCERNED, OF BOAT PEOPLE CROSSING THE VIETNAM/CHINA LAND BORDER AND MAKING THEIR WAY OVER LAND TO POINTS ALONG THE CHINA COAST CLOSE TO HONG KONG FROM WHICH THEY CAN UNDERTAKE BY BOAT THE FINAL HOP TO HONG KONG. YOU SHOULD REMIND THE CHINESE THAT SUCH INDIVIDUALS ARE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS AND SHOULD BE TREATED AS SUCH. IN ADDITION, THE GROWING CRISIS IN HONG KONG MAKES IT ALL THE MORE IMPORTANT THAT EFFECTIVE MEASURES ARE TAKEN TO PREVENT THE SUBSTANTIAL NUMBERS OF BOAT PEOPLE WHO ARE MAKING THEIR WAY ALONG THE SOUTH CHINA COAST FROM REACHING THE TERRITORY.
3. GRATEFUL IF HONG KONG COULD TELEGRAPH PEKING THE LATEST FIGURES FOR ARRIVALS, AND ACCOUNTS OF CHINESE ASSISTANCE WHERE RELEVANT IN TIME FOR THIS APPROACH TO BE MADE.
HOWE
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