CONFIDENTIAL
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REFUGEES THAT IF THEY REFUSED A HONG KONG PLACE, THEY MIGHT FIND
THEMSELVES WITHOUT A RESETTLEMENT PLACE ANYWHERE.
DURABLE SOLUTIONS
3.
M. HOCKE VOLUNTEERED WITHOUT PROMPTING THAT RESETTLEMENT
BY ITSELF WAS NO LONGER A SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM OF VRS. APPROXIMATELY 1.3 MILLION REFUGEES HAD LEFT SOUTH EAST ASIAN COUNTRIES SINCE 1979, AND APPROXIMATELY 1.2 MILLION HAD BEEN RESETTLED ELSEWHERE. BUT THE RESIDUE OF SOMETHING UNDER 150,000 STILL IN COUNTRIES OF FIRST ASYLUM CONSTITUTED AN INTRACTABLE
PROBLEM. PEOPLE WERE STILL LEAVING VIETNAM AT THE RATE OF ABOUT 50,000 PER YEAR, BUT RESETTLEMENT PLACES WERE GETTING HARDER TO
FIND.
4.
M. HOCKE DID NOT THINK UNHCR WAS IN A POSITION TO GO TO
THE VIETNAMESE GOVERNMENT TO TALK ABOUT REPATRIATION AT THIS STAGE. ANY APPROACH BY THEM WOULD HAVE TO BE BASED ON VOLUNTARY REPATRIATION, AND ON CERTAIN CONDITIONS: THE VIETNAMESE GOVERNMENT WOULD HAVE TO AGREE THAT REFUGEES COULD SETTLE WHERE
THEY WISHED TO IN VIETNAM. THEY WOULD HAVE TO BE ALLOWED TO
CONDUCT A NORMAL LIFE AND UNHCR WOULD HAVE TO BE ALLOWED TO
MONITOR THEM, AND PROVIDE ASSISTANCE. HE DID NOT BELIEVE THAT IN THE PRESENT CLIMATE OF INTERNATIONAL OPINION, OTHER COUNTRIES
WOULD BE WILLING TO CONTRIBUTE MONEY TO ASSIST IN THE
RESETTLEMENT OF VOLUNTARY RETURNEES: ECONOMIC AID WAS BEING USED AS A WEAPON AGAINST THE VIETNAMESE GOVERNMENT, FOR UNDERSTANDABLE REASONS. ALSO, SPEAKING FRANKLY, THE VIETNAMESE GOVERNMENT MIGHT
ACT TO PROLONG OR EVEN INCREASE THE EXODUS OF REFUGEES SO AS TO INCREASE THE INFLOW OF FOREIGN EXCHANGE. HE THOUGHT THAT ANY FORMAL APPROACH TO THE VIETNAMESE WOULD HAVE TO BE MADE BY OTHER GOVERNMENTS. (HE LATER, HOWEVER, TOLD HEAD OF UND THAT HE MIGHT EXPLORE THE GROUND INFORMALLY WITH VIETNAMESE GOVERNMENT
REPRESENTATIVES IF THE OPPORTUNITY AROSE. HE ADDED THAT A VIETNAMESE DELEGATION WOULD BE VISITING GENEVA SHORTLY TO DISCUSS ODP MATTERS, AND THAT HE HIMSELF PROPOSED TO VISIT VIETNAM NEXT
FEBRUARY OR MARCH.)
5.
I ASKED WHETHER UNHCR WOULD CONDONE AN APPROACH BASED ON INVOLUNTARY REPATRIATION, ASSOCIATED WITH UNDERTAKINGS BY THE
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CONFIDENTIAL