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TO PRIORITY WASHINGTON TELNO 261
OF 12160OZ FEBRUARY 88
TOP COPY Q DIST 7
AND TO PRIORITY UKMIS GENEVA, OTTAWA, TOKYO, BANGKOK, HANOI AND TO PRIORITY HONG KONG, SINGAPORE, KUALA LUMPUR, JAKARTA
INDO-CHINESE REFUGEES: MEETING WITH UNHCR
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HELD
ADAMS (SEAD) ACCOMPANIED BY HEWITT (UKMIS GENEVA) DISCUSSIONS WITH HOCKE, DEWEY CUN DEPUTY HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGEES) AND HOMANN-HERIMBERG IN GENEVA ON 10 FEBRUARY.
2. UNHCR EMPHASISED THEIR CONCERN ABOUT THE INFLUX OF VIETNAMESE REFUGEES INTO THAILAND ON SHORT BOAT-HAUL AND ABOUT THAI PUSH-OFFS. THEIR APPEAL TO OTHER RESETTLEMENT COUNTRIES TO SUPPORT UNHCR REPRESENTATIONS TO THAIS TO RESPECT PRINCIPLE OF FIRST ASYLUM HAD EVOKED LITTLE RESPONSE.
3. UNHCR WERE ALSO IMPATIENT OF SLOW PROGRESS IN ICG AND SLIPPAGE OF DATE FOR NEXT MEETING. HOCKE UNABLE TO MANAGE 7/8 APRIL IN OTTAWA. WE AGREED THAT UNHCR SHOULD PROPOSE EMERGENCY MEETING OF ICG IN GENEVA IN LATE FEBRUARY/EARLY MARCH TO ADDRESS THAI SITUATION, FOLLOWED BY OTTAWA MEETING, PERHAPS IN LATE APRIL/EARLY MAY. UNHCR WILL SOUND OUT AMBASSADOR MOORE FIRST. IT WAS RECOGNISED THAT OTHER ICG MEMBERS MIGHT NOT BE KEEN BUT GENEVA MEETING COULD BE HANDLED BY GENEVA REPRESENTATIVES IF TEAMS FROM CAPITALS WERE UNAVAILABLE. IT WAS ENVISAGED THAT EMERGENCY MEETING SHOULD ALSO HANDLE WIDER QUESTIONS (REPATRIATION OF ECONOMIC MIGRANTS, SCREENING, AID PACKAGE, ETC.) COVERED IN AUTUMN 87 ICG PAPER.
4. UNHCR ADMITTED THAT THEY HAD MADE NO PROGRESS ON AID PAPER ABOUT POSSIBLE AID PACKAGE FOR VIETNAM FOR RETURNING MIGRANTS, WHICH AMERICANS HAD REQUESTED AT LAST ICG. THEY ALSO APPEARED UNCERTAIN AS TO HOW TO PROCEED. HOCKE IS CLEARLY RELUCTANT TO GO TO HANOI UNLESS HE HAS SOMETHING SPECIFIC TO OFFER SUCH AS AN AID
PACKAGE.
5. ADAMS MADE THE FOLLOWING POINTS.
A) HONG KONG ARRIVALS FROM VIETNAM WERE HIGHEST SINCE 1982: IF THIS CONTINUED, CAMPS WOULD HAVE TO BE REOPENED. IT WAS A
SIGNIFICANT POLITICAL ISSUE IN HONG KONG:
B) LIKE UNHCR, WE SOUGHT EARLY ICG MEETING AND WOULD SUPPORT UNHCR IN BID FOR AN EMERGENCY MEETING IN GENEVA :
C) WHILST AID FOR REPATRIATED REFUGEES WAS POLITICALLY SENSITIVE, IT WAS IMPORTANT TO PROCEED WITH PAPER SETTING OUT
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