RESTRICTED
N
180
BRITISH EMBASSY
3100 Massachusetts Avenue NW Washington DC 20008
Telex Domestic USA 89-2370-89-2384
Telex International 64224(WUI)/440015(ITT)
Telephone (202) 462-1340
MD 21,379
RECT.
Mr Fortuna 21/4
to 874
Your reference
P$1989
Our reference
i
Date 14 March 1989
A Godson Esq
SEAD
FCO
Jea
Town
REFUGEE POLICY GROUP REPORT ON VIETNAMESE REFUGEES IN SOUTH
EAST ASIA
1.
I enclose a copy of a draft report by the above group which has been sent to me with the opportunity to make any "off the record" comments I wish by 1 April.
2. From a quick skim, the draft report does not seem too bad from Hong Kong's point of view. The description of Hong Kong's screening/repatriation policy (pages 3/4) is a little compressed. But the description of the agreement with UNHCR on repatriation (page 22) seems straightforward. The report's conclusions are lame, and I imagine that we would want in particular to take issue with the proposition that the principle of first asylum should be "delinked" from the commitment by countries outside the region to resettlement.
3. I doubt that we could persuade the group to take this point out of their report. And indeed there is no obligation on us to provide any comments at all. But if there were points in the draft report on which you thought it was worth our registering a view, I should be grateful for guidance.
Ye ever,
PF Ricketts
Del Ricketts
CC:
Hong Kong Dept, FCO
Mr Hansen, Refugees Coordinator, Hong Kong UKMis Geneva
RESTRICTED