TNAG-2062-FCO40-2940-Vietnamese-boat-people-repatriation-1990 — Page 16

CONFIDENTIAL

CONFIDENTIAL

FM FCO

TO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG

TELNO 267

OF 31153OZ JANUARY 90

HK B

243 15

RECEIVED IN REGISTRY

AND TO IMMEDIATE UKMIS GENEVA

INFO PRIORITY HANOI, WASHINGTON

22 FEB 1990

DES-

59

071161

MDHOAN 2140

FROM SEAD

VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE: CRITICISM OF SCREENING

1 WE ARE FAXING TO YOU AND TO UKMIS GENEVA A COPY OF AN ARTICLE BY SARAH HELM IN TODAY'S INDEPENDENT, ABOUT THE JUDICIAL REVIEW BEING SOUGHT BY MR DAVID BURGESS OF SPECIFIC CASES REVEALING APPARENT SHORT-COMINGS IN THE SCREENING PROCESS.

2 THE SECRETARY OF STATE WOULD LIKE A ROBUST RESPONSE TO THIS ARTICLE. WE THINK THAT THIS MIGHT BEST ISSUE FROM THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE IN LONDON. IT WOULD BE IDEAL IF THE RESPONSE COULD BE COORDINATED WITH UNHCR, ALTHOUGH WE WOULD UNDERSTAND IT IF, IN CURRENT CIRCUMSTANCES, THIS MIGHT BE DIFFICULT TO ACHIEVE. IT WAS HELPFUL THAT IN A CALL ON COLVIN ON 30 JANUARY, DENNIS MCNAMARA (UNHCR) AGREED THAT WE SHOULD SEEK TO QUOTE COVER EACH OTHER UNQUOTE AS FAR AS POSSIBLE OVER THE ISSUE OF SCREENING, THAT THIS WOULD BE DIFFICULT IF CRITICS WERE ABLE TO SUBSTANTIATE SPECIFIC EXAMPLES OF SHORTCOMINGS. GRATEFUL FOR YOUR AND UKMIS GENEVA'S COMMENTS ON MS HELM'S ARTICLE, AND FOR A DRAFT OF A RESPONSE TO BE ISSUED BY THE HKGO.

3 MCNAMARA ALSO APPEALED FOR A POSITIVE RESPONSE TO STOLTENBERG'S LETTER OF 29 JANUARY TO THE SECRETARY OF STATE ABOUT SCREENING. HE DID NOT THINK THAT SIGNIFICANT CHANGES TO THE SCREENING MECHANISM IN HONG KONG WERE NECESSARY. SMALL CHANGES WOULD PAY DISPROPORTIONATE DIVIDENDS. THE STOLTENBERG LETTER WAS DISCUSSED BY MINISTERS THIS MORNING AND IT WAS AGREED, PARTICULARLY IN VIEW

OF STOLTENBERG'S IMPORTANCE IN OUR WIDER GAME PLAN, THAT THE REPLY SHOULD BE AS FORTHCOMING AS POSSIBLE.

HURD

YYYY

BUT

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CONFIDENTIAL