DSR 11C
CONFIDENTIAL
- 2 -
resettlement guarantees for refugees who might be allowed to go
to the island centre if one is set up (see paragraph 7 below).
Our meeting
4
we regard it as an open question whether the
would establishment of an island refugee centre with encourage a
greater outflow from Vietnam and we sa some very difficult
problems in the operation of the scheme. For example, if the
island centre is established without blanket resettlement
guarantees being given, we-ercognise there may well be a
residual problem stretching over years which the West to a
great extent would probably be expected to finance and for which
we may well be criticised. The establishment of a refugee
centre of the kind envisaged would not be a solution to the Indo-Chinese refugee problem.But it might ease, for a time at
least, some of the congestion in refugee camps in Thailand,
Malaysia, Hong Kong and elsewhere.
5
We need to appear positive in our response to the UNHC
for the sake, among other things, of our good relations with
ASEAN countries, particularly Thailand and Malaysia, and of our
responsibilities for Hong Kong. Both ASEAN and the Governor of
Hong Kong support the proposal. In the absence of a useful and
workable alternative scheme, therefore, we think it right that
the UK should be prepared to lend its support in getting the
scheme off the ground if the UNHCR decides it is worth
implementing and we should be ready, as a leading member of
the UNHCR Executive Committee, to participate constructively
in further international discussions. Our overall profile
should, however, be fairly low. I think the Americans,
whether they like it or not, will be expected to take the lead
among Western countries in offering support for the idea.
ASEAN wil certainly be looking to them rather than us to pull
any tricks out of the bag.
AA AS4SHKA JANM «122 19490 prarteell
KONFY PRÍZTEAT