CONFIDENTIAL
000611
MDHIAN 1812
IMMIGRATION POLICY REGARDING THE WHOLE ASIAN REGION.
6. IN RESPONSE TO HIS QUESTION I SAID THAT PROVIDED ANY AUSTRALIAN SCHEME FULFILLED THE PURPOSE DESCRIBED IN
PARAGRAPH 4 ABOVE I THOUGHT THAT THE DETAILS WOULD NOT BE OF DIRECT INTEREST TO US. HE ASKED WHETHER, IF AUSTRALIAN STUDY OF THE PROBLEM REVEALED THAT THEY NEEDED MORE INFORMATION ABOUT HOW WE WOULD OPERATE OUR POINTS SYSTEM AND ON WHAT CRITERIA, THAT COULD BE OBTAINED. I SAID THAT I SHOULD BE GLAD
TO SEEK ANSWERS TO ANY QUESTIONS HIS OFFICIALS MIGHT HAVE
THOUGH YOUR STATEMENT HAD BEEN PRETTY COMPREHENSIVE ON THE MATTER.
"
7 EVANS ASKED WHETHER I COULD GIVE HIM ANY INFORMATION ON THE TIMING OF THE NEXT BATCH OF INVOLUNTARY VIETNAMESE REPATRIATIONS
AND THE LIKELIHOOD OF THIS BEING ACCOMPANIED BY ANY KIND OF VIOLENCE. I SAID THAT I COULD NOT. I GUESSED THAT YOU HAD WANTED
TO MAKE YOUR OWN FORTHCOMING VISIT BEFORE A DECISION WAS TAKEN ON FURTHER REPATRIATION BUT I DID NOT KNOW. AS TO VIOLENCE, THERE HAD BEEN NONE LAST TIME AND I DID NOT THINK HE SHOULD READ ANYTHING INTO ALARMIST JOURNALISTIC PREDICTIONS. WE WERE GRATEFUL FOR THE SUPPORT AND UNDERSTANDING THAT THE AUSTRALIANS HAD SHOWN. EVANS SAID THAT IF, WITH AN ELECTION APPROACHING, DOMESTIC CRITICISM INCREASED THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT MIGHT HAVE
TO KEEP THEIR HEADS DOWN BUT THEY WOULD STICK TO THEIR POSITION.
COMMENT
8. A SATISFACTORY FIRST RESPONSE, WITH A FIRM COMMITMENT TO STUDY OUR REQUEST. AUSTRALIA WILL NOT FIND IT EASY, HOWEVER, UNDER ITS CURRENT IMMIGRATION POLICY TO ARRANGE A SCHEME OF THE SORT WE HAVE IN MIND.
COLES
YYYY
ΜΑΙΝ
59
.HONG KONG AGREEMENT
.(RESTRICTED)
LIMITED
DISTRIBUTION
63
NEWS D
PS/MR MAUDE
PS/LORD BRABAZON
PAGE
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CONFIDENTIAL
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