CONFIDENTIAL
FM FCO
CONFIDENTIAL
HKB 24319
TO IMMEDIATE UKMIS NEW YORK
TELNO 780
OF 07170OZ NOVEMBER 89
TOP COPY Q DIST ?
INFO PRIORITY HONG KONG, HANOI, UKMIS GENEVA, WASHINGTON
155073
MDHOAN 7155
366
REPATRIATION OF VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE: UNHCR MONITORING 1. IN MAKING THE CASE FOR THE NON-VOLUNTARY REPATRIATION OF SCREENED-OUT BOAT PEOPLE TO VIETNAM, WE ATTACH IMPORTANCE TO CREDIBLE MONITORING OF THEIR CONDITIONS ON RETURN. OUR PRIME OBJECTIVE HAS BEEN TO PERSUADE UNHCR TO TAKE THIS ON. UNFORTUNATELY, HITHERTO THEY HAVE AGREED ONLY TO MONITOR THOSE BOAT PEOPLE WHO RETURN VOLUNTARILY TO VIETNAM.
2 THE FORMER UN HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGEES, HOCKE, HAD BECOME THE MAIN OBSTACLE TO UNHCR AGREEMENT TO MONITOR THE RETURN OF ALL BOAT PEOPLE. WE KNOW THAT MANY OF HIS OFFICIALS AND HIS DEPUTY (DEWEY), AS WELL AS THE BRITISH REFUGEE COUNCIL, BELIEVE THAT UNHCR SHOULD ACCEPT THIS TASK. WE HOPE THEREFORE THAT HOCKE'S RESIGNATION ON 26 OCTOBER HAS OPENED UP THE POSSIBILITY OF MAKING PROGRESS IN THIS AREA.
2. VIEIRA DE MELLO CHEAD OF THE UNHCR BUREAU FOR ASIA AND OCEANIA AND THE SENIOR UNHCR OFFICIAL RESPONSIBLE FOR BOAT PEOPLE) TOLD COLVIN (SEAD) ON 27 OCTOBER THAT THE CARETAKER HIGH COMMISSIONER, HINTEREGGER, WOULD BE UNLIKELY TO OBSTRUCT POLICY PROPOSALS RECOMMENDED BY RELEVANT UNHCR OFFICIALS. BUT THE UN SECRETARY GENERAL MIGHT INTERVENE TO PREVENT ANY CHANGE IN UNHCR POLICY DURING THE INTERIM PERIOD UNLESS HE IS FULLY BRIEFED ON THE ISSUES. HE MAY STILL MISUNDERSTAND OUR POLICY AND INTENTIONS. WHEN HOCKE SAW PEREZ DE CUELLAR AT THE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON INDO-CHINESE REFUGEES IN JUNE, HE APPARENTLY FAILED TO MAKE CLEAR THAT THOSE TO BE REPATRIATED INVOLUNTARILY TO VIETNAM WOULD BE NON-REFUGEES. SINCE HE BELIEVED THAT WE PLANNED TO SEND BACK REFUGEES PEREZ DE CUELLAR NATURALLY AGREED THAT UNHCR SHOULD NOT BECOME INVOLVED.
4. WE SHOULD THEREFORE LIKE YOU TO FIND AN EARLY OPPORTUNITY TO EXPLAIN OUR POLICY TO PEREZ DE CUELLAR, STRESSING THE IMPORTANCE WHICH WE ATTACH TO UNHCR INVOLVEMENT IN MONITORING THE RETURN TO VIETNAM OF ALL NON-REFUGEES. YOU SHOULD MAKE IT CLEAR THAT THERE IS NO QUESTION OF OUR RETURNING GENUINE REFUGEES TO VIETNAM. BUT FOR THE SCREENED OUT THERE IS REALLY NO ALTERNATIVE TO RETURN TO THEIR COUNTRY OF ORIGIN, AS DECIDED BY THE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON INDO-CHINESE REFUGEES (ICIR) IN GENEVA IN JUNE. THE
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