TNAG-2062-FCO40-2940-Vietnamese-boat-people-repatriation-1990 — Page 78

HKB

RECEIVED

243 15

REGISTRY

3 1 JAN1990

DESK OFFICER

INDEX

REGISTRY

A

Action Taken

CONFIDENTIAL

AO

ili

Mistic

Манатсия

[VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE: FUTURE ACTION]

1. Since this submission was drafted, Hong Kong have reported (in Hong Kong telno 71) that Cathay Pacific are unwilling to carry out any further mandatory repatriation flights at present: they have received two bomb threats which they believe to result from their involvement on the first flight. This may not be Cathay's last word and I think it would be worth speaking to Sir Adrian Swire to see whether the thinking reported by Hong Kong is the result of a decision by the Swire's Board. I should be prepared to do this unless Ministers wish to take on the task. In the meantime Hong Kong has asked us to look again at the possibility of using an RAF aircraft.

2.

This development raises a serious questionmark about our ability to continue with mandatory repatriation unless we can get it accepted by the international community at SC3. The Vietnamese are playing hard to get and are unlikely to show their hand before SC3. Sir David Ford, whom I saw today, is gloomy about the prospects of mounting further repatriation exercises in a way which will avoid adverse international reactions.

3.

This suggests to me that, while we should continue to press for international endorsement of mandatory repatriation as part of the CPA, we should be prepared to trade a later timing for its introduction (e.g. a mid-1990 date, as suggested in para 7 (b) of the submission) in return for endorsement of the idea of quick screening and return). should thus be making a virtue out of the necessity of delay in mounting further mandatory repatriation exercises.

4.

We

The difficulty will be to get agreement to the idea of a quick turn-around scheme. I do not think we will make much headway by presenting the treatment of new arrivals as a normal immigration matter (para 10 of the submission). The Americans and others will not accept that Vietnamese coming by boat should be dealt with in the same way as the common run of illegal immigrants. But we can seek to make à distinction between the treatment of those already in the Camps in Hong Kong and those who have not yet reached them. The key will be the credibility of the screening arrangements we have in mind. If those arrangements are seen to be perfunctory and to carry no appeal procedure, we shall have very little hope of gaining international support and, if we cannot get international support, we will not persuade the Vietnamese to go down the quick return road.

CONFIDENTIAL