TNAG-2064-FCO40-2942-Vietnamese-boat-people-and-China-1990 — Page 37

CONFIDENTIAL

FM HONG KONG

TO PRIORITY FCO

TELNO 598

CONFIDENTIAL

14

151644

HKB

243

RECEIVED IN REGISTRY

07 MAR 1990

113

DESK

INDEX

A

on Taken

MDLIAN 9185

TOP COPY

& DIST?

C

OF 16084OZ FEBRUARY 90

INFO PRIORITY PEKING, HANOI

VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE: CHINESE ATTITUDE

1.

DURING THE ANNUAL BORDER REVIEW MEETING BETWEEN HONG KONG AND GUANGDONG LAST WEEK, THE POLITICAL ADVISER PRESSED HARD FOR A CHINESE FOLLOW-UP TO LI PENG'S ASSURANCE TO ME THAT NECESSARY MEASURES WOULD BE TAKEN BY THE CHINESE TO TRY TO ASSIST US WITH THE

PROBLEM OF VBPS.

2. THE GUANGDONG DELEGATION CLAIMED THAT WHEN LAND CROSSERS WERE CAUGHT THEY WERE RETURNED TO GUANGXI, WHICH IN TURN REPATRIATED THEM TO VIETNAM. THEY SAID THAT THERE WAS AN AREA ALONG THE GUANGXI/VIETNAMESE BORDER OPEN TO TOLERATED BORDER CROSSERS FOR TRADE. THERE WERE CHECKPOINTS ALONG THE ROADS AT THE LIMITS OF THIS AREA BUT THE DELEGATION ADMITTED THAT THESE WERE OFTEN CIRCUMVENTED. VERY RECENTLY THE VIETNAMESE HAD RELAXED ALL CONTROLS ON THEIR SIDE AND UP TO 10,000 TOLERATED BORDER CROSSERS A DAY WERE NOW COMING INTO CHINA. MANY OF THESE HAD RELATIVES AMONG THE OVER 200,000 ETHNIC CHINESE WHO HAD BEEN RESETTLED IN CHINA: OFTEN THEY TRIED TO JOIN THESE RELATIVES.

3. ON COAST HOPPERS THE GUANGDONG DELEGATION SAID THAT THOSE WHO PHYSICALLY LANDED ON CHINESE SOIL WERE DETAINED. BUT THEY ADMITTED THAT MANY OTHERS WERE NOT. THEY STRESSED THAT A MAJOR PROBLEM WAS LACK OF FUNDS FOR REPATRIATING THE COAST HOPPERS.

4. EHRMAN PRESSED HARD FOR ALL VIETNAMESE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS, BOTH LAND CROSSERS AND COAST HOPPERS, TO BE DETAINED AND RETURNED TO VIETNAM. ONLY IN THIS WAY COULD A CLEAR DETERRENT MESSAGE BE SENT AND THE FLOW REDUCED. IF FIRM MEASURES WERE NOT TAKEN NOW THE PROBLEM WOULD CONTINUE TO ESCALATE. THE COSTS THEN WOULD BE MUCH GREATER.

5. SUBSEQUENT TO THIS EXCHANGE, WE PASSED INFORMATION TO THE CHINESE SIDE ABOUT TWO BOATLOADS SUSPECTED TO BE IN PORTS IN GUANGXI, ASKING THEM TO CHECK THE PORTS CONCERNED AND REPATRIATE THE VIETNAMESE IF FOUND.

1

PAGE CONFIDENTIAL