CONFIDENTIAL
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MDHIAN 2173
CONFIDENTIAL
FM HANOI
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
TELNO 423
OF 150325Z AUGUST 89
AND TO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG
TOP COPY Q DIST ?
INFO IMMEDIATE UKMIS GENEVA, WASHINGTON, PARIS
1689
FCO TELNO 1689 OF 11 AUGUST: VBP: REPATRIATION
1 YOUR PARA 11: I HAVE NOT YET RECEIVED YOUR INSTRUCTIONS ON
THE LINE TO TAKE WITH THE VIETNAMESE AND WILL NOW BE IN HCMC FROM 15 AUGUST UNTIL EARLY MORNING ON 18 AUGUST. DURING MY ABSENCE THE EMBASSY WILL SEEK AN APPOINTMENT FOR ME WITH MFA ON 18 AUGUST.
2. IT IS, OF COURSE, OF VITAL IMPORTANCE TO SEE THE FIRST BATCH OF NON-VOLUNTEERS RETURNED SMOOTHLY. IF THERE IS ANY SIGN OF RESESTANCE OR TROUBLE THEN WE SHOULD NOT PROCEED. HOWEVER, APART FROM THIS I WOULD HAVE THOUGHT THAT EVERYTHI NG ARGUED IN FAVOUR OF MONING AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE. THE SOONER WE AND THE VIETNAMESE DEMONSTRATE OUR JOINT RESOLVE TO REPATRIATE NON-VOLUNTEERS THE MORE VOLUNTEERS WILL COME FOREARD. NOW THAT OUR PLANS FOR NON VOLUNTARY REPATRIATION HAVE BECOME KNOWN, THE LONGER WE DELAY THE MORE THOSE OPPOSED TO ANY FORM OF REPATR- IATION WILL BECOME ORGANIZED AND BE ABLE TO TAKE HEART FROM OUR APPARENT INABILITY TO IMPLEMENT THE POLICY. THE NUMBERS OF ACQUIESCENTS AND VOLUNTEERS COULD DROP.
3. ON MONITORING, IT IS TRUE THAT THE EMBASSY WILL HAVE DIFFICULTY IN MONITORING CREDIBLY (LAST WORD UNDERLINED) LARGE NUMBERS OF RETUNEES BUT WE SHALL CERTAINLY BE ABLE TO HANDLE THE FIRST
BATCH OR TWO. I WOULD NOT ADVOCATE DELAY UNTIL BETTER
ARRANGEMENTS CAN BE PUT IN PLACE. INDEED, YOU MIGHT THINK IT WEEEEEEE WISE TO PROCEED WITH A FIRST BATCH OF RETURNEES WHILST I AM STILL HERE AND ABLE TO BE INVILVED. I KNOW THE ISSUE, QUANG NINH PROVINCE, HAI PHONG AND THE LANGUAGE. I ALSO KNOW MOST OF THE JOURNALISTS WHO ARE LIKELY TO EXPRESS AN INTEREST. I LEAVE POST ON 10 SEPTEMBER. THE UNHCR HAVE SO FAR DONE NO MORE WITH THE VOLUNTEERS THAN WE SHALL BE ABLE TO DO FOR THE FIRST BATCH OF NON-VOLUNTEERS. NOBODY HAS YET QGESTIONED THEIR ABILITY TO O
MONITOR.
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