TNAG-2072-FCO40-2951-Vietnamese-boat-people-arriving-in-Hong-Kong-from-Macau-coop-1990 — Page 6

CONFIDENTIAL

AKB 243 129

126242 MDHIAN 6064

EGISTRY

APR 1990

CONFIDENTIAL

FM HONG KONG

TO IMMEDIATE FCO

TELNO 1067

OF 271200Z MARCH 90

INFO IMMEDIATE LISBON, PEKING, UKMIS GENEVA, HANOI

☺

YOUR TELNO 657:

VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE: MACAU

WE WILL MAKE THE POINT TO VIEIRA DE MELLO ABOUT A PORTUGUESE/MACANESE DELEGATION ATTENDING THE PROPOSED REGIONAL MEETING IN APRIL/MAY. WE SHALL NEED TO CONSIDER THE IDEA OF HOLDING THIS MEETING IN HONG KONG IN THE CONTEXT OF A STRATEGY FOR DEALING WITH MAJOR INFLUX OVER THE NEXT FEW MONTHS. IF WE DO FIND OURSELVES

IN THIS POSITION, A MEETING IN HONG KONG MIGHT SERVE OUR LOCAL POLITICAL PURPOSES VERY WELL ALTHOUGH IF WE FACE A MAJOR INFLUX WE SHALL NEED TO CALL FOR MORE THAN A REGIONAL MEETING. WE ASSUME THAT A FORMAL PROPOSAL WOULD NEED TO BE MADE IN GENEVA. MEANWHILE WE WILL MENTION THE IDEA INFORMALLY TO VIEIRA DE MELLO. UNHCR MIGHT PREFER TO CONVENE THE MEETING IN BANGKOK, BUT IF HONG KONG WERE ACCEPTABLE TO UNHCR, THEN WE ASSUME WE COULD LEAVE THE ARRANGEMENTS TO THEM.

2.

THE MACAU AUTHORITIES ARE CERTAINLY CAPABLE OF PASSING INFORMATION TO THE CHINESE ON BOATS LEAVING MACAU AND PASSING THROUGH CHINESE TERRITORIAL WATERS ON THEIR WAY TO HONG KONG. WHETHER THEY WOULD HAVE SCRUPLES ABOUT DOING SO, GIVEN THAT THE

INFORMATION WOULD BE INTENDED TO LEAD TO THE RETURN OF THOSE WHO HAVE NOT BEEN SCREENED, AND WHETHER THE CHINESE WOULD BE PREPARED TO TAKE ON THE TASK (IN THE ABSENCE OF HONG KONG ABANDONING FIRST ASYLUM), MUST BE VERY UNCERTAIN. WE SHARE PEKING'S DOUBTS AS TO WHETHER IN PRACTICE THE MACANESE AND CHINESE COULD COR WOULD BE WILLING) TO COOPERATE EFFECTIVELY IN THIS. BUT WE SEE NO DIFFICULTY IN AT LEAST PUTTING THE PROPOSITION TO THE MACAU AUTHORITIES. IF YOU AGREE, THIS MIGHT BEST BE DONE BY THE POLITICAL ADVISER TO THE MACAU DIPLOMATIC ADVISER.

WILSON

YYYY

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