refugee status theoretically means involuntary return to one's
country of origin, relatively few people have so far been
received back even on a voluntary basis.
was issued
Last December, a "Memorandum of Understanding"
jointly by the governments of the United Kingdom, Hong Kong and
Vietnam, regarding voluntary repatriation. The agreement states
that persons returning voluntarily will not be subject to
prosecution or discrimination; and that the UNHCR, as the agency
assisting in their return and reintegration, would have full
access to monitor the situation of returnees. The Vietnamese
authorities, as discussed earlier, have stressed their opposition
to receiving back any persons repatriated against their will.
Since Hong Kong's refugee screening policy went into effect
in June 1988, some 285 boat persons there have requested
repatriation. A Vietnamese consular team has processed and
approved the applications of an initial 81 persons, who returned
to Vietnam under UNHCR auspices on 2 March. Whether any
successful large-scale repatriation actually takes place remains
to be seen, as many of the newly arrived asylum seekers in the
colony's holding centers have expressed their unwillingness to
return.
At present, there are no other official repatriation
agreements between Vietnam and the ASEAN countries, though
substantive discussions on the matter have taken place with
Thailand, Malaysia' and the Philippines. It is understood,
however, that the UNHCR-sponsored agreement regarding
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