being returned to Vietnam to settle back into their local
communities. We are having preliminary discussions with the Vietnamese about the involvement of NGOs in providing assistance to
the local communities.
44. UK FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE
We recently announced a new contribution of over £10 million towards
improving emergency accomodation and the construction of a new purpose-built camp on Tai A Chau. We are also helping with repatriation and transport costs. Since beginning of last year, we have pledged or contributed a total of some £28 million towards the
boat people problem.
45.
PHILIPPINE REFUGEE PROCESSING CENTRE
We have pledged £3m towards the establishment of a processing centre in the Philippines to which refugees now in Hong Kong might
move quickly, thereby releasing pressure on space. Our offer is conditional on the centre being ready to accept people from Hong Kong by 1 July, and on other countries also contributing to its
construction casts.
46. RESETTLEMENT OF REFUGEES
- Resettlement of Vietnamese refugees from the SE Asian region is
ahead of schedule. The first of the 2,000 which Britain undertook
to resettle at the 1989 Geneva Conference have now begun to arrive.
We are looking at ways of accelerating our offtake from Hong Kong.
47. UNHCR ROLE
UNHCR support is highly desirable if we are to achieve the
phased, orderly and monitored return in safety and dignity to
Vietnam of all who are not refugees. Such a role would be outside
UNHCR's present mandate. They would require a request from the
International Conference Steering Committee, on the basis of a
Committee consensus, to extend their 'good offices' to cover such a role. Consensus is currently blocked by the United States and
PSRAAL