4.. Following direct talks between representatives of HMG and the Hong Kong Government and the Vietnamese Government, it was agreed that comprehensive arrangements were necessary for all boat people arriving in Hong Kong after 16 June. Assurances have been obtained from the Vietnamese authorities that all returnees will be treated
humanely and no one will be punished. It was also agreed that the UNHCR should take charge of the practical arrangements and monitor the treatment of returnees and their reintegration into Vietnam. start was made on 2 March with the return of the first group of
about 80 who have expressed a wish to go back to Vietnam. They were provided with modest financial assistance to help them resume their lives in Vietnam. HMG have contributed US$ 125,000 towards this
programme.
A
5.
The other aspect of the problem is the resettlement of those boat people in Hong Kong who have refugee status some 15,000 at present. Britain has since 1975 resettled some 20,000 Indo-Chinese refugees, including 13,000 Vietnamese from Hong Kong. The Government have recently announced that they will accept an additional 1,000 refugees for resettlement over the next 2/3 years
and that our current rate of intake will be doubled. We have also
lobbied some 21 resettlement countries, urging them to contribute to a substantially increased international effort. The response has been a very good one: commitments of 4,200 resettlement places for
1989 have already been made.
6.
International efforts to find a durable solution to the
problem of the Vietnamese boat people continue.
At a prepcon held in Kuala Lumpur on 7-9 March 1989, the Vietnamese Government accepted for the first time the principle that all boat people "determined not to be refugees should return to their country of origin in accordance with international practices reflecting the responsibilities of States towards their own citizens". Sub-committees have been established to prepare the ground for the implementation of an agreed Comprehensive Plan of Action, to be endorsed by the International Conference planned to be held in
Geneva in June.
MOPAAD2