TNAG-2064-FCO40-2942-Vietnamese-boat-people-and-China-1990 — Page 38

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6. NCNA REVERTED TO THE POLITICAL ADVISER ON 15 FEBRUARY. THEY SAID THAT TEAMS HAD BEEN SENT TO THE PORTS WHERE WE BELIEVED THE TWO VESSELS TO BE. THEY HAD NOT BEEN FOUND. THE CHINESE WOULD NEVERTHELESS BE HAPPY TO RECEIVE OTHER INFORMATION FROM US IN

FUTURE AND TO INVESTIGATE THIS ALSO.

7. JI SHAOXIANG SAID THAT THE CHINESE WERE NOW INTENSIFYING CHECKS ON THE HIGHWAYS AND RAILWAYS LEADING OUT OF THE AREA OPEN TO TOLERATED BORDER CROSSERS. HE WENT ON TO SAY THAT SINCE MID-1988, WHEN THE CENTRAL PEOPLE'S GOVERNMENT HAD GIVEN INSTRUCTIONS THAT VIETNAMESE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS WERE TO BE DETAINED, 77,700 PEOPLE HAD BEEN ARRESTED AND RETURNED TO VIETNAM. 57,800 OF THESE HAD BEEN LAND CROSSERS AND 19,900 COAST HOPPERS. IN ANSWER TO QUESTIONS HE SAID THAT THE COAST HOPPERS RETURNED HAD BEEN THOSE WHOSE BOATS WERE NOT IN A FIT CONDITION TO GO ON. HE ADMITTED THAT THOSE WITH SOUND BOATS WERE USUALLY JUST PUSHED OUT TO SEA, SEEKING TO EXPLAIN THIS ON GROUNDS OF COST. GUANGDONG HAD SO FAR SPENT RMB.600,000 ON REPATRIATION WITHOUT RECEIVING ANY SPECIAL FUNDS FROM THE CENTRAL PEOPLE'S GOVERNMENT.

8. EHRMAN WELCOMED THE FACT THAT GUANGXI HAD INVESTIGATED THE INFORMATION WHICH WE HAD SENT TO THEM, EVEN IF THE TWO BOATS WE HAD HEARD OF HAD NOT BEEN FOUND. WE WOULD CERTAINLY CONTINUE TO PASS INTELLIGENCE TO THE CHINESE SIDE. HE ALSO WELCOMED THE FACT THAT CHECKS WERE BEING INTENSIFIED ON LAND ROUTES. AS FOR COAST HOPPERS, HE URGED THAT ALL THOSE VIETNAMESE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS WHO ENTERED CHINESE TERRITORIAL WATERS SHOULD BE DETAINED AND RETURNED, AND NOT JUST THOSE WITHOUT ADEQUATE MEANS OF CONTINUING THEIR JOURNEY.

COMMENT

9. THE IMPROVING CHINESE ATTITUDE IS MILDLY ENCOURAGING. THE

FIGURES GIVEN FOR THOSE RETURNED ARE NEW. WE HAVE NO MEANS OF

ASSESSING THEIR ACCURACY. BUT WE NEED TO KEEP PRESSING FOR ALL VIETNAMESE ILLEGALLY ENTERING CHINA TO BE DETAINED AND RETURNED.

10. I SHOULD BE GRATEFUL IF THE EMBASSY COULD FOLLOW UP WITH THE MFA IN PEKING, PREFERABLY AT AMBASSADORIAL LEVEL IF SIR A DONALD AGREES. THIS COULD BE DONE BY REFERRING BACK TO MY CONVERSATION WITH LI PENG, THANKING THE CHINESE FOR THE NEW CHECKS NOW BEING MOUNTED, AND URGING THAT ALL LAND CROSSING OR COAST HOPPING BOAT PEOPLE BE RETURNED. THIS IS A FIELD IN WHICH COOPERATION CAN CLEARLY BE TO OUR MUTUAL ADVANTAGE.

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