CONFIDENTIAL
MKD 243/8
988
88
053677
MDHIAN 8824
CONFIDENTIAL
FM HONG KONG
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
TELNO 3968
OF 25111OZ OCTOBER 88
ons
TOP
INFO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE LONDON DIOT ?
Q
OUR TELNO 3927 AND 2928: VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE IN HONG KONG: SCREENING RESULTS
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1. FOLLOWING THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE FIRST BATCH OF SCREENING RESULTS YESTERDAY (24 OCTOBER) THE SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST (SCMP) REPORTED THE RESULTS TODAY UNDER THE HEADLINE QUOTE ''UN REJECTS FIRST RESULTS OF SCREENING'' UNQUOTE. THE ARTICLE WENT ON TO SAY THAT QUOTE THE HONG KONG OFFICE OF THE UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGEES (UNHCR) YESTERDAY REFUSED TO ENDORSE THE FIRST SET OF RESULTS FROM THE SCREENING OF VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE
WHICH FOUND THAT OF 48 PROCESSED ONLY ONE FAMILY OF SEVEN WERE REFUGEES THE UNHCR UNDERTOOK TO OBSERVE THE INTERVIEWS AND OTHER DETERMINATION PROCEDURES ON A SELECTIVE BASIS. BUT THE CHARGE DE MISSION OF THE UNHCR IN HONG KONG, MR FAZLUL KARIM, SAID YESTERDAY HE HAD NOT HAD ENOUGH STAFF TO MONITOR THE SCREEING PROCESS AS
THOROUGHLY AS HE WOULD HAVE LIKED
AND THE UNHCR COULD NOT ENDORSE THE SCREENING ALREADY CARRIED OUT BY THE GOVERNMENT.
MR KARIM SAID WE CANNOT MAKE ANY COMMENT YET: ON THE BASIS OF THE
INFORMATION WE HAVE IT IS VERY DIFFICULT TO SAY HOW ACCURATE THE
DETERMINATION PROCESS HAS BEEN UNQUOTE.
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2. WE HAVE BEEN IN TOUCH WITH KARIM ABOUT THE ARTICLE. HE DENIED
HAVING MADE ANY SUCH STATEMENT. HE MAINTAINED THAT HE HAD SAID
THAT THE UNHCR HAD NO COMMENTS TO MAKE ON HKG'S ANNOUNCEMENT AND IT
WAS NOT FOR THE UNHCR TO ENDORSE OR REJECT THE SCREEING RESULTS. HE DID HOWEVER COMMENT ON UNHCR'S SHORTAGE OF MANPOWER IN HONG KONG.
3. THE CONTENT OF THE ARTICLE IS NOT CONSISTENT WITH THE HEADLINES
AND IT SEEMS THAT THE SUBEDITOR WAS SIMPLY LOOKING FOR A DRAMATIC HEADLINE. MR KARIM SAID THAT HE WOULD BE SPEAKING TO THE EDITOR
OF THE SCMP TO EXPRESS HIS UNHAPPINESS ABOUT THE REPORT.
ALSO LODGE A COMPLAINT WITH THE SCMP VIA THE DIRECTOR OF INFORMATION SERVICES.
FORD
WE WILL
GOVERNMENT