CONFIDENTIAL
17. A
unilateral
a year ago.
approach to Vietnam thus appears to present the same very considerable difficulties that it did Nonetheless we must face up to the fact that it would be short-sighted and unwise to continue acting on the assumption that the problem of Vietnamese refugees (in Hong Kong or elsewhere) can be solved by resettlement
The reasons are all too clear:
alone.
(i) "compassion fatigue" will intensify as world attention switches away from SE Asia to fresh refugee problems (for example in Africa):
(ii) each new resettlement
diplomatic
diminishing
efforts:
returns
gesture and each new
are likely to bring despite our best
campaign
(iii) diminishing commitment or greater selectivity
on the part of the resettlement countries pushes the problem back on countries of first asylum (and Hong Kong):
(iv) even if resettlement rates could be increased this would only intensify the potential "pull effect", making flight from Vietnam more
attractive and swelling the numbers to be
resettled.
18.
The need is to find a way of tackling the problem which might minimise the domestic political risks for HMG while maximising pressure on the Vietnamese to play cooperative role. It is proposed that we should now begin exploring with the UNHCR and with those countries involved in the Indo-Chinese refugee problem (the main resettlement countries and the countries of first asylum) the possibility of a multilateral approach to the problem. The first step
step would be to establish a common view of the nature of the problem and possible solutions.
CONFIDENTIAL