CONFIDENTIAL
4.
Since the turn of the year, an increasing number of volunteers
have come forward and a total of nearly 3000 have returned to
Vietnam. During his visit to Vietnam in February, the Minister of
State, Mr Maude, secured Vietnamese agreement to accept back
volunteers at a rate of around 1,000 a month from May 1990. We
agreed to contribute to the cost of a new reception centre near
Hanoi to enable the Vietnamese authorities to reach this target.
the time of writing, the backlog of volunteers stands at over 1,500.
However the vast majority of these have not been screened. Among
the screened out, the number of volunteers remains small.
Discussions on returning non-volunteers continue with the
Vietnamese.
But
At
In
5. The attitude of the United States continues to be illogical and
unhelpful. At the 1989 Geneva Conference, the United States
delegate stated that "unless and until dramatic improvements occur
in that country's economic, social and political life, the United
States will remain unalterably opposed to the forced repatriation of
Vietnamese asylum seekers." Despite our best efforts and growing
American isolation, the Administration's policy has not altered.
January, they appeared to accept that mandatory repatriation could begin on 1 January 1991 provided certain conditions are met.
even this commitment is in doubt. As a result, there is growing
evidence that first asylum countries are losing faith in the
Comprehensive Plan of Action and a real danger that first asylum
itself will break down. We have made it clear to the United States
Administration that since they and Vietnam alone oppose repatriation
for all those who are not refugees, responsibility for offering a
workable alternative solution now rests with them and the
Vietnamese. As recommended by the Committee (paragraph 5.6), we are pressing the United States to provide accommodation for those
screened out until such time as they are content to accept their
repatriation to Vietnam. We have suggested the use of a United States Pacific Territory for this purpose. Following a meeting in Manila on 17/18 May a demarche was made by HMG and ASEAN first
asylum countries to Vietnamese and US Governments on 11 and 19 June
respectively calling for a solution at the next meeting of the
PTAAPE (2)
CONFIDENTIAL