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assistance for the development of the communities to which boat people returned, which would in turn discourage further departures.
25.
Later on 8 January we met Mr Hoang Ngoc Tri, Vice Chairman of Haiphong's People's Committee and Chairman of the Committee for the Reception of Returnees in Haiphong, together with other members of the Reception Committee and representatives of Haiphong's Labour and Social Welfare Department. Mr Hoang Ngoc Tri was grateful to the British Government for its attention to and concern for those who returned to Vietnam from Hong Kong. But he commented that the Haiphong city authorities had not yet received any of the funds Britain had transferred to Vietnam when the first non-volunteers returned on 12 December 1989. For the moment the Haiphong authorities were drawing from their own budget to help returnees and were setting aside 14 million dong (about US$3500) to provide subsistence on a three monthly basis. He thought that Britain's current modest help was essential for Haiphong and pointed out that the fishermen among the returnees had returned empty-handed and unable to work after sailing to Hong Kong in their own boats. British help was, therefore, necessary. The first priority for the Haiphong authorities was to supply basic food, medicine and household utensils to those who returned on 12 December 1989. Then they must try and provide accommodation and finally the means of finding employment.
26.
Their
Mr Hoang Ngoc Tri commented that both the non-volunteers and voluntary returnees were guilty of leaving Vietnam illegally, but confirmed that both would be treated well and with no discrimination. He said that professional centres (presumably training centres) for all Vietnamese, including returning boat people, were being established with some places reserved for returnees. But the fishermen presented a particular problem. boats were their homes as well as their means of employment. British funds were not enough to buy boats and the Haiphong authorities could not afford them either. Mr Hoang Ngoc Tri thought there were three measures to be taken to assist the fishermen: more help from Britain; a willingness by the returnees to make money for themselves; and help from family and friends. Banks would lend money at low interest rates once the fishermen had boats (ie security for the loan). Mr Hoang Ngoc Tri commented that the returnees must work to earn money, learn the value of labour and of the boats which they lost when they fled Vietnam, and recognise the mistake they had made in leaving.
27. In Hanoi we were able to have a long and wide-ranging informal discussion with the Vietnamese Foreign Minister, Mr Nguyen Co Thach. We greatly appreciated this. On our return from Haiphong we had valuable discussions with Mr Vu Khoan, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, on 10 January. Mr Vu Khoan expressed Vietnam's deep respect for its cooperation with Britain and commented that good will on both sides had contributed towards the progress made so far. He stressed that Vietnam aimed at further cooperation with Britain and Hong Kong to solve the problem of the boat people and hoped that public opinion and Parliament would play their part. He
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