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round took place in Hanoi on 3/4 August. The Vietnamese insisted on voluntary returns only and suggested reintegration assistance for returnees. We pressed for effective measures to stop the outflow and for the return of all those screened out as illegal immigrants. A second round of talks will be held in London in early October.
8.
Ministers have agreed in principle that we should be prepared to contribute to a UNHCR programme to provide modest reintegration assistance to returnees and their immediate communities as part of a comprehensive repatriation scheme.
9. ASEAN countries are keen to convene an international conference in early 1989 to deal with the whole question of Indo Chinese refugees. Vietnam has indicated that it would participate. The Secretary of State told the Malaysian Foreign Minister recently that the UK would attend but that we had not yet decided on the level of our representation. We have made it clear to ASEAN that such a conference must be thoroughly prepared and should not be side-tracked into other issues.
MR4ADM
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