2
4.
App. B
App. C
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Three and a half days of general statements followed including one by the British Ambassador copy at Appendix B. The Canadians, the Swedes, the Japanese the Thais, the Americans and particularly the Australians all stressed the importance of "voluntary repatriation" as the only realistic solution to the Indo-Chinese refugee problem : last year there was much mention of "compassion fatigue" - this year "compassion exhaustion" would have been more appropriate! There can be no doubt that emphasis on voluntary repatriation is the fashionable approach and incidentally one for which money will be available: the Americans and Japanese are for instance quite delighted to pay for any refugee who is not thereafter going to have to be resettled in their countries.
5.
an
The rest of the conference, which unfortunately had still not finished when I left, was taken up with consideration of the reports on Protection, Assistance, and Administration and Services. The only contribution of interest on Protection was the opening speech by Mr. Mousalli, the Director of Protection which was impassioned plea for a return to the old basic humanitarian standards by all concerned - countries of origin, asylum and resettlement alike. Mousalli's speech was not specifically aimed at South East Asia but part of his concern was undoubtedly the move in emphasis away from resettlement to repatriation. When the next change in emphasis starts towards involuntary repatriation, of illegal immigrants from Vietnam (as I believe it will in 2 or 3 years time), his rearguard action will be strongly and bitterly fought.
6.
The debate on Assistance was not finished when I had to leave and I missed by about 15 minutes making the statement at Appendix C. This had however been accepted by the Ambassador and will have been made on 17 October by a member of the U.K. mission. This statement will not have had any immediate impact but the Thais were the only other place of first asylum in the region to speak and are clearly those with the biggest clout with the Americans. Having the statement on the record will however help the UNHCR and his staff in lobbying on behalf of Hong Kong.
7.
as I reported last year it is not the formal structured part of the conference which is important. It is the bilateral discussions in the margins that really matter where one can lobby and find out what is going on. These discussions range from formal meetings at ambassadorial level, through lunches to innumerable cups of coffee outside the meeting hall. These cannot be planned very easily and frequently were spur of the moment occurences having been to Excom before was a distinct advantage in this respect.
CONFIDENTIAL
/8.