TNAG-2233-FCO40-3206-Visits-by-the-Office-of-Members-of-the-Executive-and-Legisla-1991 — Page 40

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before they departed indicating that the Prime Minister had raised

the Vietnamese migrants issue with President Bush and that he would continue to do so if necessary. However, he did not want to do or

say anything at this stage that might put the IMC proposal at risk,

for example, by antagonising Congress. For their part, OMELCO

should not conceal from those they represented the dangers for Hong

Kong of abandoning first asylum.

11. Mrs Fan said that time was running out: to buy more time by

easing overcrowding in the camps, HMG should provide HK $40 million

to create space at Tai a Chau for a further 10,000 migrants. If

this was done Hong Kong could cope until the end of the sailing

season by which time IMC might be established. Concluding, Mrs Fan

said that if all else failed, the only way to avoid disaster was for

Hong Kong to abandon first asylum.

11. The meeting ended at 12.15.

I Tinsley

A JN Tansley