ASIAN TOUR 1967 KOREA
PRESS CONFERENCE GIVEN BY THE PRIME MINISTER,
MR. HAROLD. HOLT AT SEOUL 9TH APRIL, 1967
I am nearing the end now of this journey I have been making to
four countries in the Asian region first to Cambodia, then Laos, Taiwan
and finally Korea, with stopover visits to Singapore and Hong Kong where I
have been able to have some talks with officials and members of governments
in those places also.
It has been for me a most informative, interesting and indeed
enthralling journey. I shall return to my own country very much better
informed about the countries and peoples I have visited and I hope that since
this involves me as Head of my Governm ent, the effect will be valuable in
the Cabinet discussions and parliamentary discussions in which I shall be
participating from now on.
But there is one over-riding impression that I should like to
pass on to you and it is the feeling of warmth, of friendship wherever we
have gone. These countries differ in size, in history and tradition, in
circumstance, in t heir foreign policies some of them but wherever we
went as representatives of the Australian Government and people, we were
greeted with the warmest of friendship. I did not see a hostile banner, hear
a hostile voice, nor see a hostile look in any one of the countries we visited
at any of the time we were amongst their poeple, and nowhere has this warmth
of friendliness been more evident than in your own country of Korea.
It was immediately apparent when we arrived and were greeted
by those wonderful crowds which turned out to give a welcome to an
Australian Prime Minister and his party and it has been evident wherever
we have moved since. Quite obviously the comradeship which built up
between our two countries in the period of conflict earlier, has laid a basis
for an enduring friendship. Our co-operation in Viet Nam, in such gatherings
as the Manila Conference, ASPAC and other institutions and meetings where
we are able to develop together our common interests in this area of the
world, have promoted that friendship.
I am sure that with my own visit, the contact that I have had with
your distinguished President, Prime Minister, Members of your Government,
senior members of your community, your university and students, people
that I have met as I have moved around all this will have given fresh warmth
to that friendship and will have deepened it I hope for all time to come.
So I feel tremendously gratified at the experience I have had
throughout the journey, particularly here in Korea. I shall return to my
country feeling that this has been a most rewarding, irformative, valuable
journey and with friendships strengthened that will, I hope, endure for the
benefit of the countries visited and certainly for my own.
Now I would like to make some time available to you to put
whatever questions you would wish to me. This will be our only opportunity
together of speaking quite frankly to each other so please do not hesitate to
put the questions you would like to ask. / 2
2-
Q. Press reports have been optimistic lately concerning the war
in Viet Nam. T" ey re desperate and are looking for
a face-saving toj~ ri~ ai~ Do you think Hanoi is
desperate? d tn k A action on the part of the
for oGi" t~ inik: of North Viet Nam, will
accomplish t said all fighting must stop on both sides
before we can accomplish anything.
PM: Well, I am in no position to say whether the Viet Cong or the
North Vietn,-mi--: s-e are desp,--ate or not. I do believe, 7.11 the evidence
which n-ei' d have su~ r~~ e; heavy. : x%-erses. Thie
hi! hjm in tk~ f-e-i had a special sif 7:-cance and T believe that
their iossare curnni'Itive. They are talkilg a great deal of punishment,
but so far the, r e has benno overt indira: ifn of a disposition on the part
of Plano: to sezk Can early end to th~ v L It tes. There is one school of
thoug! i, v. hIich e: eves they are dtom: eito hang on, encouraged perhaps
by scn.-, i;., 7-ent whiCh has como Gut Uinited~ SJ ates. In uarticular,
belireviny t et. he 1968 Fresidentia; l rfi--: z a ) b 7zter
atrno . phiere for .1tI~ th--z t',. ey are n: t: h. i'ir belief.
I am s-ure that the American Hycvp~ cii yant to to he conflict
thri3, rh to a just en~ during -eqce but I can't say or adc. i ! c the
informr, ! L'on wich I think is alrea-Ciy well known to most of you that these
nq~~ aio:: shave hee-a sought iouha inutaber of charir:: Is. There has
beer, an ir: fiX~ fSt a. iven in coc.,-cr-,' d form fromr ih Minila
Conferef-ce and bce~ re that t. here were, of curse, indivi& c. l., 1 rpproaches.
The c: esonof bz; through the
truce period all have been direct,: d to the enezoc; i-ag-, rne -X o; -c-ace
nel-otiarir: ns. But I have no conihdence myseh' that an irii: 1eflnite suspension
of bombing would produce an atno,-) phere for negotiations. When it
has been tried prevlously, all that it has done3 is enabled the North
Vietnamese to build up their suapplies and military strength. They
have taken advantage of it to improve their military position and in the
absence of any cl, ar reciprocity, namely, an indication of the willingness
to enter into nozltatic~ ns in good faith, I don't see any advantage from
a suspension of the bombing at this time.
Q. What does Your Excellency think is the best co-operation
between Korea and Australia?
PM: Well, already that co-operation has been evident first in the
assistance we were able to bring to your pe:--pi-e and your forces in their
t ime of need in the crisis of tle 1950' s, and now there 1has been the
co-operation we have had together assisting the South Vietnamese to
resist the communist aggez-; sion with whiclh they are contending. We
are co-operat~ rg for pec. E& rps and for constructive purposes in
such institutions that I have n-: ntionl--1d sitch as ASPAC, the Asian Development
Bark, and other avenues. I am em~ our aged to belil ve that from my
visit today to Uisan and the talks I was able to have with your Deputy
Prime Minister that there will be a growing trade between our two
countries. He spoke in particular of your intention to establish an iron
and steel industry in this couxrtry which woul-i -he likely to require iron ore
from Australia and of your gr~ owing req..-rcrnent for plywood -which would
be devoted to the making of furniture ar. orwher purposes. In these and
other directions, we can look, I think optirnstically, to a growing trade
relations hip between the two coun Li es a -Ad I would hope that arising out
of my own visit and return visits which leaders from your own country
will, I hope, be making to Au-.,.'( ralia, there will be a clos-er relationship
leading to useful coliaboration in areas of security, of diplomatic
collaboration and of growing trade. y. #/ 3
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Q. Reports from Saigon today indicate that the Allied side had
proposed to North Viet Nam for a cease-fire on the occasion of the
Buddhist birthday anniversary next month. Do you think, Mr. Prime
Minister, that this could lead up to a basis for cease-fire negotiations
for enduring peace?
PM: 1 have not heard of such a proposal. . but this is not a
prospect about which I feel optimistic.
Q. Mr. Prime Minister does your Government consider a
possibility of sending more troops to Viet Nam in an effort to bring North
Viet Nam to the negotiating table?
PM: Our troops are in Viet Nam at the invitation of the Government
of South Viet Nam and as requests are received, of course, they are
considered. But it is well known by the Government of South Viet Nam
that Australia has commitments in ct her directions as well and that
Australia is also at this time trying to build up the strength of its own
Regular Army, which involves the use of many regular troops for
instruction purposes. W~ e do also have, for example, forces stationed in
Malaya as part of our commitment in that area of the world with the
Commonwealth Strategic Reserve and, in addition we have, of course, to
assume a responsibility in respect of Papua and New Guinea and our own home
defence so there is not at present time any proposal before the Government
for Increasing the size of its forces. The latest increases have more than
doubled the strength which existed not so very long ago. I may say we have
doubled the provision for defence over the last four years and this now
represents somewhere between 4 to 5 per cent. of the gross national
product. Q. Mr. Prime Minister, what do you think, in your opinion, the
allied troops in Viet Nam should do to win the war or to bring the war to
an early close? Do you favour the escalation, including bombing of the
north, or do you favour descalatlon?
PM: I think these are matters which rest largely on the military
judgment of the people who lead the forces there and I think one can take
up from the results which are now being achieved that the military forces
are operating very effectively. I believe very effectively indeed. I would
not assume myself the responsibility for urging any particular type of
military activity. I think that In my judgment, this is largely a matter on
which one must rest on the advice of our military experts.
Q. Mr. Prime Minister, we heard of your rejection of the peace
proposal suggested by U Thant. Do you have any ideas for a settlement
of the war in Viet Nam? If not, what do you think is the best way for early
peace in Viet Nam?
PM: I thought we had made that clear in our Joint Declaration at
Manila. We indicated there the circumstances which we felt just and
reasonable. The criticism I had to offer in it was not directed to Secretary
U Thant or his very well meaning efforts to bring this unhappy business to
a conclusion but I felt that to suspend the bombing without any reciprocity
on the other side was, having regard to our earlier experience, not a
realistic way for us to secure the negotiations we were seeking.
Q. Yesterday, you had discussions with Prime Minister Chung
about trade relations between Korea and Australia. Have you arrived at
any concrete agreement? Please tell us.
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PM-. There was not much opportunity yesterday to talk on economic
matters for my talks with the Prime Minister were occupied mainly
in discussions on the Viet Nam issue, as they were later with President
Park. I was interested to have an assessment of the developments in
China and our time was largely taken up with these matters, but in the
course of today's travel, during which I spent a good deal of the time
with the Deputy Prime Minister, we have discussed a variety of
economic matters.
I have already indicated the possibilities of increasing trade
which there seems to be in the future, but we were not conducting
negotiation on a trade agreement or anything of that sort. He did tell
me that an economic mission would be going to Australia with a view
to examining various possibilities there and no doubt holding discussions
with the appropriate people in our trade departments.
Q. Do you have any plan to make ASPAC go rather swinging?
PM: Well, I certainly hope that ASPAC will develop in usefulness
but I am not in a position to indicate any special direction at this time.
My Foreign Minister would have been giving his personal attention to
this and he will be meeting representatives of your own Government
at the meeting of representatives of friendly forces in Washington, as
indeed no doubt they will have met at ECAFE also. He left Australia
shortly before I did and I do not know what account he has to give of
these discussions, but we have welcomed the formation of ASPAC and so
far as we are concerned we shall be doing what we can to make it a
worthwhile corporation.
Q. In Hong Kong and Taipei you were asked questions about
A-ustralia's immigration control and in your reply you pointed out that
there had been considerable liberalisation during the past twenty years
and the Australian Government policy was understood by the Asian
Governments. in the light of this would you comment on charges by one
of your Government colleagues the other day that Australia's controls
were highly discriminatory. He put forward the proposal that Ascia should
go out and join ( rest of question indistinct)
PM: Well, I have not seen any text of any such proposal anct indeed,
if there are people of Asian extraction who become naturalised Australians,
they are eligible to join the forces for National Service legislation now
applies to aliens as well, as you would know. But it may be of interest
seeing that I did make a statement when this question was first put to
me, that it occupies a greater prominence in the minds of the pressmen
than of the Governments who are, I think, well understanding of the
reasons for policy and who, in their own countries, administer policy
relating to immigration from other countries, that not one government
representative has raised this matter with me in any of the four countries
that I have visited.
Can I just add, for the information of our Korean friends here,
some of the details which I gave to a question relating to immigration
policy when it was asked earlier at the two places Mr. Ramsey has
mentioned. Since the war, some 3C, C0O people have been admitted to
Australia who would not have been eligible for admission under the rules
which previously applied. He spoke of some liberalisation of our / 3
1 b ( MR. HOLT Contd. immigration policy. More than 6, 000 have qualified
for full naturalisation and early in my own term as Prime Minister, I
brought the period of qualification of naturalisation for Asian citizens
into line with that which applies to those residents of Australia from
other countries as well. There are also currently in Australia some
12, 000 students from various countries of Asia in our colleges and
universities and I am certain that if any of you have the opportunity to
come to Australia or to visit Australia you will be agreeably surprised
not only at the degree of friendship shown to you but the absence of any
discrimination practised against people of any other race from our own.
Q. At the conference yesterday with Prime Minister Chung, were
there any discussions on assistance to reconstruction in Viet Nam? If
there were any please point out something concrete and also was there
any discussion about additional troop despatch from Korea to Viet Nam?
PM: I think you will appreciate that it is not appropriate for me to
give details of confidential discussions which were held between us, but
as to the first part of your question, I can just put the answer quite
broadly. Our forces there are engaged in work of civic action and there
is, on Australia's part, as I have no doubt there is on the part of Korea
also, aid given in addition to the work of civic action by the armed forces.
I have no doubt that if we could secure a peace settlement that there would
be a good deal of reconstruction to be carried out in South Viet Nam
and Australia would hold itself willing, as no doubt Korea would also, to
give assistance in the work of peace just as we have felt glad to give
assistance to meet the crisis of war.
As to the reference to troops from Korea, that matter was not
raised by me and any announcement which your own Government has to
make on this matter would come appropriately from them.