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Geneva on 23 January of the "Geneva Contact Group" attended by
representatives of the United States, Australia, Canada and Japan.
We were not invited. Hong Kong was discussed, and the Americans
appeared to be taking the line that there should be no further offers
for resettlement from Hong Kong as this could encourage a further
exodus from Vietnam. The Americans proposed a further Honolulu
meeting to be held in Geneva during the October 1985 EXCOM meeting.
If this subject is raised, it would be useful to hear UNHCR views
on the direction these meetings should take. Difficult for UK to
take the initiative in calling a conference since we are not in a
position ourselves to offer any additional resettlement places for refugees from Hong Kong.
Local or Regional Integration
6 It would be useful to know what ideas UNHCR may currently have on
this subject. The Thais have already indicated that they will not
absorb any more but has UNHCR sounded out the Filipinos or
Indonesians? Last July UK pledged £5 million under ICARA II for
programmes in Africa to benefit refugees and host country communities.
Repatriation
7 See Hong Kong brief.
Ship Rescue
8 See paras 7 and 8 of FCO memorandum for SCORRI. At UNCHR's
27 February meeting on the Thai Anti-Piracy Programme, Mr Moussalli,
the UNCHR's Director of Protection, announced that, due to a recent
major contribution from the US, UNCHR now hoped that the scheme would
begin on 1 May, although they were still discussing some of the
technical aspects with the IMO.
Orderly Departure Programme (ODP)
9 See para 10 of FCO memorandum to SCORRI. According to UNHCR
figures, during 1984 ODP departures totalled 29,000 while boat
people arrivals in the region totalled some 25,000. At the meeting
with the Vietnamese on ODP matters, in Geneva on 3 October,
Dame Anne Warburton said that it was inconsistent that the programme
did not allow the departure of those whose relatives had left
Vietnam by boat, also, that the programme should be extended to
include those who are currently, or who have been in re-education
camps.
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/Thai