GUIDELINES FOR DISEMBARKATION OF REFUGEES
During the past several years, some 14,000 Vietnamese refugees have been rescued annually by merchant vessels operating in the South China Sea. The majority of the refugees have been disembarked at the next scheduled port of call at relatively little inconvenience to merchant vessels; however, a number of merchant vessels have experienced considerable delays. These auidelines seek to provide a summary of procecures which, if followed, will help to reduce delays in disembarking refugees rescued at sea.
Where are refugees disembarked?
Approximately 50 per cent of all refugees rescued in the South China Sea are disembarked in Singapore, while others are disembarked in Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, the Philippines, Thailand or other ports outside the region. All countries in South-East Asia require assurances from receiving countries, or from UNHCR, that Vietnamese refugees rescued at sea by passing ships will be disembarked on a temporary basis only and that they will eventually be resettled elsewhere, usually within a period of 90 days.
What are the procedures?
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When a vessel picks up refugees at sea, she will normally proceed to the first scheduled port of call, informing the ship's agent by radio of the number of refugees the vessel has on board and the circumstances of their rescue
The snips's agent will in turn inform the port and immigration authorities of the presence of refugees on board, requesting permission for the ship to enter the harbour. The ship's agent should also inform the local UNHCR office and the embassy of the country whose flag the ship is flying.
Should the vessel be flying the flag of a country in a position to resettle refugees, the embassy of that country will inform the port authorities of its Government's willingness to accept the refugees, normally within 90 days of their disembarkation.
UNHCR will inform the local authorities of UNHCR's willingness to cover care and maintenance expenses while the refugees are in transit after disembarkation.
If the vessel flies a flag of open registry, or a flag of a country which cannot reasonably be expected to accept refugees for resettlement, UNHCR will contact a country which has contributed to a special rool of resettlement places known as Disembarkation Resettlement Offers (DISERO) to provide a resettlement guarantee.