CONFIDENTIAL
MFD 243/15/
7
143423
MDHIAN 5584
:
CONFIDENTIAL
FM HONG KONG
TO DESKBY 281300Z FCO
TELNO 3625
OF 281118Z SEPTEMBER 88
OPY
INFO PRIORITY HANOI, UKMIS GENEVA, PEKING, WASHINGTON, BANGKOK INFO PRIORITY KUALA LUMPUR
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YOUR TELNO 2477 AND 2478: VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE IN HONG KONG: SECOND ROUND OF TALKS WITH THE VIETNAMESE.
THANK YOU FOR TURS. WE SEEM TO BE THINKING ALONG THE SAME LINES AS REGARDS OUR OBJECTIVES FOR THE SECOND ROUND OF TALKS.
2. WE AGREE WITH YOUR COMMENTS ABOUT NOT GIVING ANYTHING AWAY IN ADVANCE OF ANY REAL CONCESSIONS FROM THE VIETNAMESE. WE ALSO AGREE THAT THE TRICK WILL BE TO KEEP IN STEP WITH THE EMERGING MULTI- LATERAL INITIATIVE WHILE AT THE SAME TIME STAYING AHEAD OF THE GAME. THE POINT HERE IS THAT THE MULTI-LATERAL ACTION WILL TEND TO MOVE AT THE PACE OF THE SLOWEST. IT MAY PROVE DIFFICULT TO KEEP TO THE TIGHT SCHEDULE LAID DOWN. WE CANNOT HITCH OUR FORTUNES COMPLETELY TO THIS STAR. WE NEED TO PRODUCE RESULTS IF WE ARE TO BE ABLE TO CONTINUE TO JUSTIFY OUR POLICY IN HONG KONG. WE MAY THEREFORE HAVE TO MOVE FURTHER AHEAD OF THE GAME THAN YOU PERHAPS ENVISAGE.
3. OUR IMPRESSION OF UNHCR UNWILLINGNESS TO SEE A START TO REINTEGRATION ASSISTANCE HAS BEEN REVISED UPWARDS. KARIM, THE UNHCR CHARGE DE MISSION, RAISED THE ISSUE, DURING A RECENT CALL ON UPTON (SECRETARY FOR SECURITY). HE SAID THAT HE WAS EMBARRASSED ABOUT UNHCR'S NEGLECTED PROTECTION FUNCTION IN VIETNAM, AND SAW A PROGRAMME OF REINTEGRATION ASSISTANCE AS AN OPENING WHICH WOULD ENABLE THEM TO FULFILL THIS RESPONSIBLITY HE IMPLIED THAT THE UNHCR WISHED TO START REINTEGRATION ASSISTANCE, BUT COULD NOT DO SO UNTIL IT HAD THE BACKING OF DONOR COUNTRIES. IN RESPONSE TO OUR QUESTIONS, HE CONFIRMED THAT A PROGRAMME OF REINTEGRATION ASSISTANCE OPERATED BY THE UNHCR COULD BE STARTED ON THE BASIS OF A TRUST FUND WITHOUT THE NEED FOR FORMAL APPROVAL FROM EXCOM IN ADVANCE.
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4. THE INFERENCE WHICH WE DRAW FROM THIS IS THAT THERE IS SCOPE FOR A PILOT SCHEME BASED ON FUNDS FROM A LIMITED NUMBER OF INITIAL DONORS, AND LINKED INITIALLY TO VIETNAMESE RETURNING FROM HONG KONG. ALSO THAT THE UNHCR MIGHT WELCOME SUCH AN INITIATIVE AS A MEANS OF EXERCISING THEIR PROTECTION FUNCTION. (CASELLA, FORMER UNHCR
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