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3. Mr Luce mentioned that Ambassador Douglas had told him that
he thought Vietnam was on the point of further repression.
Mr Smyser commented that the UN had no specific information but
such fears could be linked to the conspiracy trials in the
south. There had however been no dramatic increase in refugee
numbers so far this year.
4.
Mr Luce asked about the possibilities of a regional
solution to the problem. Mr Smyser replied that several
countries were prepared to offer first asylum, but although
they would not send people back they were not prepared to offer
long term settlement. He therefore saw no prospect of a regional
solution.
5. Mr Luce mentioned the visit of the Foreign Affairs Committee
to Geneva and the difficult position in which the UK found herself.
Vietnamese families admitted to the UK were not settling in well.
Mr Smyser said
that he was not aware of other countries
experiencing problems on the same scale. Certainly in the US,
Canada and Australia there had been less difficulty.
The
situation varied from one country to another and a blanket
statement was difficult.
But it was conceivable that the UK
had taken families of poorer quality.
6. Asked about the ODP, he replied that things were going well
and the numbers resettled by the ODP could conceivably overtake
the number of boat-people.
Dame Anne Warburton asked whether
anyone who had applied to leave under the ODP had wanted to
return to Vietnam: Mr Smyser replied effectively none. The
difficulty was that for many people what actually happened to them
was not the prime consideration in their mind. They wanted a
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