REPUTATION.
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12. THE OPTIONS AVAILABLE ARE THUS SEVERELY LIMITED. WE HAVE CONSIDERED THE FOLLOWING TWO POSSIBLE OPTIONS : -
(A) DETENTION OF ALL NEW ARRIVALS AS ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS FROM A CURRENT DATE WITHOUT ACCESS TO RESETTLEMENT PROCESSING PENDING
THEIR RETURN TO VIETNAM.
(B) SCREENING ALL NEW ARRIVALS BASED ON REFUGEE CRITERIA (NOT RESETTLEMENT CRITERIA) WITH A VIEW TO DETAINING THOSE SCREENED OUT AS ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS FOR REPATRIATION TO VIETNAM.
OPTION 1 : DETENTION OF ALL ARRIVALS WITHOUT SCREENING
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13. THIS OPTION WOULD BE THE MOST EFFECTIVE AS A DETERRENT IF IT COULD BE IMPLEMENTED WITHOUT RESERVATION. BUT IT WOULD ALMOST CERTAINLY HAVE TO BE COMBONED WITH SOME ASSURANCE THAT THOSE WHO WOULD FACE PHYSICAL DANGER OR PERSECUTION ON RETURN TO VIETNAM WOULD NOT BE FORCED TO RETURN THERE. (THERE WOULD BE PRESSURE ALSO TO TREAT SUCH PEOPLE AS REFUGEES AND ALLOW THEM TO BE RESETTLED IN THIRD COUNTRIED.) IT WOULD BE DIFFICULT TO KEEP SUCH AN ASSURANCE PRIVATE AND THE DETERRENT EFFECT OF THE POLICY AS A WHOLE COULD BE SERIOUSLY UNDERMINED AS A RESULT. THE SECURITY IMPLICATIONS OF KEEPING SUCH PEOPLE IN DETENTION INDISCRIMINATELY (AND IN GROWING NUMBERS IF BOAT ARRIVALS CONTINUED) WHOULD BE CONSIDERABLE. CRITICISM FROM LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN GROUPS WOULD PROBABLY BE VOCAL AND SEVERE AND WOULD BE ECHOED IN PARLIAMENT. SUCH A COURSEOULD WELL HAVE SERIOUS IMPLICATIONS FOR HONG KONG'S INTERNATIONAL REPUTATION AND RELATIONS WITH OTHER COUNTRIES, NOTABLY THE USA, IN OTHER AREAS.
OPTION 2
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DETENTION AS ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS FOLLOWING SCREENING 14. THIS OPTION WOULD APPEAR TO BE ACCEPTABLE, AT LEAST IN PRINCIPLE, TO MOST OF THE MAJOR RESETTLEMENT COUNTRIES AND IS RECOMMENDED TO BE PURSUED AS THE PROPOSED CHANGE OF POLICY. UNDER THIS OPTION, ALL BOAT ARRIVALS FROM VIETNAM WOULD, AS OF A DATE TO BE FIXED, BE CONSIDERED TO BE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS. THE IMMIGRATION DEPARTMENT WILL SCREEN ALL ARRIVALS TO DETERMINE WHETHER ANY OF THEM ARE GENUINE REFUGEES ACCORDING TO THE REFUGEE CRITERIA SPECIFIED IN THE 1951 CONVENTION (ANNEX C). THE SCREENING PROCEDURE WILL BE AGREED WITH HMG AND THE UNHCR.
15 VIETNAMESE SCREENED IN AS REFUGEES WOULD BE ACCOMMODATED TOGETHER WITH REFUGEES WHO ARRIVED BEFORE THE CHANGE OF POLICY AND
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