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4. SO AS REGARDS (B), WHAT I WANTED TO DISCUSS WITH SIMINGTON AND PIKE WAS WHETHER ANYTHING COULD BE DONE, PARTICULARLY BEHIND THE SCENES, TO MAKE SURE AS FAR AS POSSIBLE THAT IF SUCH ILLEGAL
IMMIGRANTS WERE RETURNED TO VIETNAM THEY WOULD NOT (NOT) BE
NREASONABLY TREATED. WOULD YOU OBJECT TO MY ARRANGING A MEETING
TOWARDS THIS END? QUITE COINCIDENTALLY SIMINGTON IS IN HONG KONG
AND CAME TO SEE ME YESTERDAY. HE THINKS NOW IS THE TIME TO START
SOUNDING OUT THE VIETNAMESE ON THEIR ATTITUDE TO INVOLUNTARY REPATRIATION. HE AGREES THAT AS IT MIGHT TAKE ABOUT A YEAR TO GET A FAVOURABLE RESPONSE, THE EARLIER WE START THE BETTER.
HE ADMITTED THAT HE WAS SPEAKING PERSONALLY AND THAT HIS COMMISSIONER WOULD NOT (NOT) GO AS FAR. NEVERTHELESS THIS MORE POSITIVE ATTITUDE TOWARDS REPATRIATION AS A VIABLE SOLUTION
SEEMS TO ACCORD WITH THE CONCENSUS APPARENTLY REACHED BETWEEN
RESETTLEMENT COUNTRIES AND UNHCR IN HONOLULU.
5. BY WAY OF BACKGROUND, YOU WILL APPRECIATE HOW FRUSTRATING IS OUR PRESENT SITUATION. ON THE ONE HAND
RESETTLEMENT COUNTRIES ARE TIGHTENING THEIR CRITERIA (SHELTERING BEHIND THE ABSENCE OF A UK QUOTA) WITH THE RESULT THAT OUR VR POPULATION IS GROWING. ON THE OTHER HAND WE DO NOT (NOT) SEEM TO BE GETTING ANYWHERE WITH OUR WISH TO RETURN THOSE WHO DON'T QUALIFY. WE BELIEVE THAT IF THE DOOR CAN BE SHUT ON ARRIVALS, WE WOULD STAND A GOOD CHANCE OF PERSUADING RESETTLEMENT COUNTRIES TO ACCEPT MORE OF THOSE WE HAVE NOW IN HONG KONG, PARTICULARLY IF THE UK WILL TAKE SOME AS A ONCE AND FOR ALL FINAL EFFORT. 6. HONG KONG HAD 565 ARRIVALS IN AUGUST, THE HIGHEST IN THE REGION. NOW THE SEPTEMBER FIGURE HAS ALREADY EXCEEDED THE 284
WHO ARRIVED IN SPETEMBER LAST YEAR.
SIGNED D.G. JEAFFRESON
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