Ms Vercoe
Information Department
RESTRICTED
Reference
кора
opa 243/5.
126
MKK 245/5
RECEIVED IN REGISTRY
2 4 JUL 1985
DESK OFFICEM
BACKGROUND BRIEF ON REFUGEES FROM INDO-CHINA INDEX
1
PA
tion Taken
Thank you for copying to me the final draft. We have further comments as follows.
2 Page 2, second paragraph. We feel that this aspect ie Vietnam's culpability should be further highlighted. Good material is to be found in Mr Luce's reply during the 14 May adjournment debate (copy attached). I suggest alterations as follows: First line. Insert "Britain, in concert with other Western countries, has urged the Vietnamese leaders
At the end of the paragraph insert as follows: "Mr Luce, Minister of State at the FCO, said in the House of Commons on 14 May 1985 that "The root cause of the whole problem of Vietnamese refugees . . lies in Hanoi. The oppressive foreign and domestic policies of the Vietnamese Government have led to economic priorities whereby disproportionate resources are devoted to maintaining the third largest army in the world. This, combined with a lamentable human rights record, has resulted in a continuing exodus of large numbers of Vietnamese." Mr Luce also cited various incidences of human rights abuses in Vietnam and concluded: and the international community must continue to try to persuade the Hanoi Government to treat their citizens in a civilised fashion and to take proper responsibility for them."
"We
3 I suggest that some re-ordering should take place to include the paragraph on "Definition of a Refugee" (at the bottom of page 2) earlier in the piece, possibly as a new para 4. I suggest also the addition of the following sentence at the end of that paragraph: "First asylum countries are increasingly aware of economic factors as a motivation for refugee departures from Indo-China."
4 Page 3, para 2. Suggest redraft as follows: "Voluntary repatriation (where possible). So far, official repatriations have been registered as follows: about 3,000 Cambodians from Laos and 2,300 Laotians from Thailand. There have probably also been many unquantified cases of "spontaneous" repatriation."
There should be some differentiation between local and regional integration. Local integration has already taken place, eg Hong Kong's integration of some 14,000 refugees. But regional integration (eg the acceptance say by Thailand or Indonesia of refugees from Hong Kong) is generally considered to be a non- starter. Countries such as Thailand and Indonesia have made it clear that they will not accept for resettlement any refugees from other first asylum countries in the region.
5 Page 4, para 4, line 14. Redraft as follows: "The aim is to encourage ship rescues of boat people, to spread refugees more evenly between resettlement countries, and to try and ensure that refugees are resettled in countries where they have family links."
rewording rug scote for this para.
phoned Ms.
verco
CODE 18-77
RESTRICTED
/6