CONFIDENTIAL
HKD 243/8
RECEIVE
591
126637
MDHIAN 9155
CONFIDENTIAL
- 2 AUG 1988
FM UKMIS GENEVA
ASFICER
TO DESKBY 02130OZ FCO
INDA.
TELNO 434
OF 021055Z AUGUST
AND TO DESKBY 03010OZ HANOI
INFO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG
TOP COPY a DIST ?
INFO ROUTINE SINGAPORE, MANILA, JAKARTA, WASHINGTON, CANBERRA, INFO ROUTINE OTTAWA, BANGKOK, KUALA LUMPUR, BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN INFO ROUTINE TOKYO, PEKING
HANOI PSE PASS TO HONG KONG DELEGATION
79
YOUR TELNO 1990 TO HONG KONG AND HONG KONG TELNO 2819: VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE
1
VIEIRA DE MELLO AND JAMBOR (UNHCR REPRESENTATIVE IN BANGKOK)`
BRIEFED INTERESTED MISSIONS IN GENEVA ON 29 JULY. ADDITIONAL DETAIL, NOT CONTAINED IN HANOI TELNO 272 OR BANGKOK TELNO 510, IS GIVEN BELOW.
2. DE MELLO HAD TOLD VIETNAM AUTHORITIES THAT THE FIRST REQUIREMENT
WAS FOR VIETNAM TO REDUCE THE NUMBER OF ILLEGAL DEPARTURES AND HENCE THE NUMBER OF ARRIVALS IN FIRST ASYLUM COUNTRIES. FOR THEIR PART, THE VIETNAM AUTHORITIES WERE CONFIDENT THAT ODP DEPARTURES WOULD
INCREASE TO 30-35,000 FOR BOTH 1989 AND 1990. US VISIT (FUNSETH'S) HAD ACCELERATED THE DEPARTURE PROGRAMMES OF AMERASIAN CHILDREN AND
FORMER RE-EDUCATION CAMP DETAINESS. THESE PROGRAMMES WOULD BE IN
ADDITION TO ODP AND SHOULD NOT/NOT HAVE A NEGATIVE EFFECT ON ODP. VIETNAM HAD PROPOSED OPENING AN AIR LINK BETWEEN HO CHI MINH CITY AND MANILA TO DIVERSIFY ROUTES OF LEGAL DEPARTURES., AMERICAN AND PHILIPPINE REACITONS WERE AWAITED.
3. ON CONTROL OF ILLEGAL DEPARTURES, DE MELLO URGED VIETNAM TO DEMONSTRATE MORE CLEARLY THEIR STATED INTENTION TO SUPPRESS RINGS ORGANISING ILLEGAL DEPARTURES., HONG KONG AND OTHERS HAD EVIDENCE THAT THE RINGS WERE STILL IN OPERATION.
4. DE MELLO ALSO TOLD VIETNAM THAT THE RESTORATION OF THE POLICY OF
FIRST ASYLUM WOULD PROBABLY LEAD TO THE ESTABLISHMENT OF OTHER SCREENING MECHANISMS (IE IN ADITION TO HONG KONG'S). VIETNAM HAD
EXPRESSED HE HOPE THAT LIBERAL RESETTLEMENT (NOT REFUGEE ELIGILITY
1
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CONFIDENTIAL