CONFIDENTIAL
HKB 243/5
CONFIDENTIAL
FM FCO
ΤΟ
PRIORITY UKMIS GENEVA
TELNO 194
OF 0610OOZ JULY 89
INFO PRIORITY HONG KONG, HANOI, WASHINGTON
INFO PRIORITY BANGKOK, KUALA LUMPUR
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PLEQAN 4119
TOP COPY ST ?
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YOUR TELEGRAM NUMBER 427 AND HONG KONG TELNO 2252:
BOAT PEOPLE: REPATRIATION
VIETNAMESE
1. WE AGREE THAT HOCKE'S ATTITUDE IS ANNOYING, FRUSTRATING AND INCONSISTENT, PARTICULARLY AFTER THE STRENUOUS
EFFORTS WE MADE TO BRING HIM
ROUND TO OUR POINT OF VIEW. HOWEVER, THERE SEEMS LITTLE POINT IN TACKLING HIM HEAD ON NOW. WE SHALL JUST HAVE TO PLAY THIS COOL AND LONG, MEANWHILE PRESSING AHEAD WITH THE VIETNAMESE ON A BILATERAL BASIS. HOWEVER, OUR LONGER TERM OBJECTIVE REMAINS UNHCR INVOLVEMENT IN MONITORING AND REINTEGRATION ASSISTANCE FOR NON-VOLUNTEERS, AND WE MUST GO ON WORKING TO THAT END.
2.
FOR THE RECORD, WE REGARD HOCKE'S ARGUMENTS AS SPECIOUS FOR THE FOLLOWING REASONS:
A) WHILE THE CPA ENVISAGES PROCEEDING BY STAGES, HONG KONG HAS BEEN WORKING TO A DIFFERENT TIME TABLE FROM OTHER FIRST ASYLUM COUNTRIES. SCREENING HAS BEEN IN OPERATION FOR OVER A YEAR AND THE VOLUNTARY ROUTE HAS
BEEN TRIED AND FAILED. IN RELATION TO HONG KONG, THE RELEVANT PROVISIONS OF THE CPA HAVE IN PRACTICE BEEN SATISFIED. IN TERMS OF PARA 12, WE HAVE MADE EVERY EFFORT TO ENCOURAGE VOLUNTARY RETURNS. IN TERMS OF PARA 14, A REASONABLE TIME HAS PASSED DURING WHICH IT HAS BECOME CLEAR THAT VOLUNTARY REPATRIATION
COMES NOWHERE NEAR MEETING THE DESPERATE NEEDS OF HONG KONG:
(B) MISTAKE OR NOT, UNHCR'S INVOLVEMENT WITH THE NON-VOLUNTARY RETURN OF LAOTIANS IS SELF-EVIDENTLY A PRECEDENT.
GRATEFUL FOR CHAPTER AND VERSE ON UNHCR AND TAMILS WHICH COULD BE
USEFUL AMMUNITION FOR THE FUTURE:
(C) WE DO NOT ACCEPT THAT OUR BILATERAL EFFORTS WITH THE
VIETNAMESE AMOUNT TO A LESS HUMANE AND LESS PRINCIPLED APPROACH
THAN PROCEEDING BY STAGES. WHAT IS CLEAR IS THAT
THE POLICY OF ALLOWING THE
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