ently?
2
mid
HONG KONG'S POLICY ON SCREENING AND REPATRIATING ARRIVALS FROM
VIETNAM
8. ON 15 JANUARY 1985, MEMBERS CONSIDERED XCC (85)4 WHICH PROPOSED THAT FROM A DATE TO BE DECIDED, ALL NEW ARRIVALS FROM VIETNAM
SHOULD BE SCREENED TO DETERMINE THOSE WHO WERE REFUGEES AND THOSE
WHO WERE NOT. THE SCREENING PROCESS WOULD BE SUBJECT TO APPEAL
TO AN INDEPENDENT AUTHORITY (POSSIBLY UNHCR) AND WOULD BE MONITORED BY THE UNHCR. THOSE FOUND NOT TO BE REFUGEES WOULD BE REPATRIATED
TO VIETNAM PROVIDED THAT THE GOVERNMENT OF VIETNAM WOULD ACCEPT
THEM AND THEY WOULD NOT BE TREATED INHUMANELY ON THEIR RETURN.
THE RELEVANT EXTRACT FROM GCC(85)4 IS AT ANNEX A AND MEMBERS
ADVISED AND THE GOVERNOR ORDERED:
9.
(A) THAT THE POLICY ON REPATRIATION, OUTLINED IN PARAGRAPH
14 OF THE MEMORANDUM, SHOULD BE ENDORSED IN PRINCIPLE, SUBJECT
TO FURTHER CONSULTATION WITH HMG: AND
(B)
THAT THE POLICY ON THE INTRODUCTION OF A SCREENING
PROCEDURE, OUTLINED IN PARAGRAPHS 15-21 OF THE MEMORANDUM, SHOULD NOT BE INTRODUCED, BUT, AS PROPOSED IN PARAGRAPH 22
OF THE MEMORANDUM, SHOULD BE RECOMMENDED FOR INCLUSION AS A
FUTURE POLICY OPTION IN THE SUBMISSION TO MINISTERS ON THE
VIETNAMESE REFUGEE PROBLEM NOW BEING PREPARED BY THE FCO.
MINISTERS HAVE CONSIDERED REPATRIATION ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS.
IN LATE 1985 THEY CONSIDERED THAT THE TIME WAS NOT RIGHT FOR AN
APPROACH TO THE VIETNAMESE ON THIS MATTER. THEY CONSIDERED THAT
THE CHANCES OF SUCCESS WERE SLIM AND THAT PUBLIC OPINION IN THE
UNITED KINGDOM WOULD NOT SUPPORT SUCH AN APPROACH.
10. SINCE 1985, ON THE THAI/LAOTIAN BORDER, THE ROYAL THAI
GOVERNMENT HAS BEEN SCREENING THOSE ARRIVING INTO REFUGEES AND
NON-REFUGEES UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF THE UNHCR WITH WHOM APPEALS
MAY BE LODGED. ALTHOUGH THE GOVERNMENT OF LAOS HAS AGHEED IN
PRINCIPLE ON TWO SEPARATE OCCASIONS TO ACCEPT THE NON-REFUGEES
FOR REPATRIATION, NONE HAVE YET BEEN REPATRIATED. BUT THE EFFECT
OF THE SCREENING ALONE HAS DRASTICALLY REDUCED ILLEGAL MOVEMENTS
ACROSS THE MEKONG RIVER.
11. DURING THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING OF THE UNHCR IN GENEVA
IN EARLY OCTOBER THIS YEAR, MANY DELEGATES REFERRED TO THE NEED TO
RE-EXAMINE THE UNHCR'S 1951 DEFINITION OF REFUGEE STATUS IN THE
LIGHT OF CONTEMPORARY ILLEGAL MASS MOVEMENTS. IN THE MARGINS,
THERE WAS CONSIDERABLE DISCUSSION ON SCREENING, FOCUSSING IN
PARTICULAR ON HOW THOSE SCREENED OUT SHOULD BE TREATED. BUT THE
UNHCR DOES NOT SUPPORT THE CONCEPT OF INVOLUNTARY REPATRIATION AND
THE VIETNAMESE GOVERNMENT HAS INDICATED THAT IT WILL ONLY CONSIDER
REPATRIATION ON A CASE-BY-CASE BASIS.
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CONFIDENTIAL
/12.