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NOTE ON
UNHCR MISSION TO SOUTH EAST ASIA
1. The Consultative Meeting with Interested Governments on Refugees and Displaced Persons in South East Asia, held in Geneva on 11 and 12 December 1978, concluded that several urgent measures were needed in order to attain durable and humane
solutions. These measures were interdependent and required action. It was in
pursuance of this that a delegation led by the Deputy High Commissioner visited the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam, the Lac People's Democratic Republic, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines and Hong Kong from 26 February to 19 March 1979. The major topics discussed with government leaders, senior officials, ambassadors resident in the capitals of countries visited, operational partners, and refugees included the conditions and future arrangements for the refugees and displaced persons, resettlement in third countries, concrete means to provide an effective option for voluntary repatriation, orderly departure from Viet Nam, special processing contres and problems relating to protection. The last three are
the subject of this nete.
2. The delegation first visited Viot Nam where discussions centred on the 12 January 1979 announcement of the Vietnamese Government on the question of persons wishing to leave the country. (See annex.) Following extensive discussions in
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Of the twelve "urgent measures" listed, the two most relevant to this note
were:
"(ii) The meeting considered a proposal whereby special centres would be established where refugees and displaced persons would be processed for resettlement in an orderly way, within a specific time scale, and against quarantees that there would be no residual problem. It was felt that this proposal should be further elaborated and studied by governments.
(ix) The consultations felt that, where persons left their countries in crier to reunite with their families abroad, countries of origin and those where such reunion would take place should establish bilateral or multilateral procedures if this has not been done. More regular and orderly procedures could advantageously be considered in order to facilitate humanitarian solutions." (See HCR/CSIA/5, pages 37 and 38.)
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