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CONFIDENTIAL
FM FCO
TO IMMEDIATE UKMIS GENEVA
TELNO 182
OF 26183OZ JUNE 89
INFO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG, HANOI
HONG KONG TELNO 2066: VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE: REINTEGRATION ASSISTANCE: POSSIBLE ROLE OF INTERGOVERNMENTAL COMMITTEE FOR MIGRATION (ICM)
1.
WE ARE RESPONDING SEPARATELY TO OTHER POINTS RAISED IN TUR. THIS TELEGRAM ADDRESSES THE POSSIBLE ROLE OF ICM. IF HOCKE REFUSES TO ALLOW UNHCR TO BECOME INVOLVED IN MONITORING THE REINTEGRATION OF NON-VOLUNTEERS REPATRIATED TO VIETNAM, IT WILL CLEARLY BE IMPORTANT TO ENLIST THE HELP OF ICM OR SOME OTHER
SUITABLE ORGANISATION (EG AN NGO).
2.
WE WONDER HOWEVER WHETHER ICM HAS THE NECESSARY EXPERTISE FOR SUCH MONITORING AND WHETHER THEIR INVOLVEMENT WOULD BE SUFFICIENT
TO SATISFY INTERNATIONAL OPINION THAT THE RETURNEES WERE NOT
BEING MISTREATED. IT WOULD THEREFORE BE HELPFUL TO KNOW:
3.
(I) WOULD ICM BE PREPARED IN PRINCIPLE TO TAKE ON A
MONITORING ROLE?
(II) WHAT EXPERTISE DO THEY HAVE IN THIS FIELD? (WE UNDERSTAND THAT THEY HAVE COUNSELLING EXPERIENCE BUT THE MONITORING REQUIREMENT IS VERY DIFFERENT), HAVE THEY BEEN INVOLVED IN A SIMILAR PROGRAMME ELSEWHERE?
FOR US TO SUPPORT AN INCREASED ROLE FOR THE ICM WOULD PRESUMABLY RAISE FURTHER QUESTIONS ABOUT THE UK'S NON-MEMBERSHIP OF THE COMMITTEE AND THE ADEQUACY OR OTHERWISE OF OUR CURRENT OBSERVER STATUS. WE WOULD THEREFORE ALSO BE GRATEFUL FOR YOUR VIEWS ON THE FOLLOWING:
(I) TO WHAT EXTENT IS ICM'S GROWING USEFULNESS FOR OUR POLICY ON VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE LIKELY TO CUT ACROSS OUR STANDARD ARGUMENTS FOR NOT RENEWING FULL UK MEMBERSHIP? THESE HAVE TRADITIONALLY BEEN THAT ICM DUPLICATE THE WORK OF THE ILO, AND TO SOME EXTENT UNHCR, AND/OR THAT IT IS IRRELEVANT TO THE UK'S LABOUR
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