ROFABU (5)
CONFIDENTIAL
A) The introduction of a region-wide screening policy.
B) Resettlement of those who are refugees.
C)
Repatriation in the first instance on a voluntary basis of those who are not refugees.
It leaves open the question of when to address the question of
repatriation of those who do not volunteer.
Repatriation
4.
Our agreement with Vietnam on repatriation was signed on 8
February.
The first batch of 81 volunteers should be repatriated to
Vietnam on 2 March under the auspices of the UNHCR. Vietnamese
officials recently interviewed the returnees in Hong Kong. The
interviews went well. However, about 240 of the 500 who volunteered
to return have changed their minds. This is worrying, but we hope
that more will come forward once the first repatriations have taken
place smoothly.
UNHCR criticisms of screening results
5. On 3 February UNHCR handed a letter to us in Geneva, and to the
Hong Kong Government in Hong Kong, expressing concern over the
alleged restrictive application of criteria for determining refugee
status by Hong Kong officials during screening. UNHCR consider that
some of those found not be refugees do in fact meet refugee
criteria, and note with concern the very low rate of those found to
be refugees (ie 0.6% of all cases, excluding the 1.6% who have been
accorded refugee status on family reunion grounds). The Hong Kong
Goverment's preliminary comments indicate that UNHCR may in practice
have very few cases with which to substantiate their claims. They are well aware of the need to keep UNHCR on side. They will be replying in a conciliatory and constructive spirit. But this remains a potentially worrying problem.
CONFIDENTIAL