TNAG-2065-FCO40-2943-Vietnamese-boat-people-and-China-1990 — Page 4

布政司署

香港下亞厘畢道

本署檔號 Our Ref.: PA SCR 5/4841/88

來函檔號 Your Ref.:

DIEU

TAZIMON

45

GOVERNMENT SECRETARIAT

LOWER ALBERT ROAD

HONG KONG

20 April 1990

vare

British Embassy

HKB 243/13

CO Pigott, Esq.,

RECEIVED IN REGISTRY

0 3MAY 1990

Peking

Dear carte,

I called in Chen Guoping of NCNA on 19 April to complain about the two attached cases of official assistance to Vietnamese. I pointed out that in one case 3 VBPS had been fined RMB 70 for being illegal immigrants but were still permitted to remain for three days in Fang Cheng and to come on to Hong Kong. Chen said that they did not have the facilities to repatriate all of them. I reminded him that the Guanxi Foreign Affairs Office Vice Director had told me they did just that. Chen then fell back on saying that that was the policy but that local officials did not always implement it. I told him that that was why we were raising the case.

The second case concerned a group who had been given RMB 100 by officials in Haikou. Chen found it hard to believe that officials would give refugees anything (he may have a point!). Anyway even if true the intention was doubtless so that the Vietnamese would return to Vietnam. I said the way to get them to return to Vietnam was to tow them back not to refuel them.

Chen said the Chinese did not have the manpower for this. In any case it was our policy which attracted them. I denied this. Our policy of mandatory and voluntary repatriation had lead to a 61% reduction in arrivals this year. Chen claimed that the reduction was due to the efforts taken by the Chinese. I asked why, if this was the case, the number of land travellers had increased.

I should be grateful if you could take parallel action in Peking.

Vandeven

Red

(RA J Bunten)

Assistant Political Adviser (G)

c.c.

C Haswell, Esq., HKD, FCO RC w/out encs