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maintained, to clear all the non-refugees in Hong Kong in little
over 3 years. The Government also offered to contribute to the cost
of a new reception centre near Hanoi to enable the Vietnamese authorities to reach this target.
32. It has been clear for some time, however, that voluntary
returns alone cannot provide a comprehensive solution to the
problems in Hong Kong. The latest evidence shows that only about 2%
of those screened out as non-refugees have volunteered to return to
Vietnam. The Government shares the Committee's view that in the
absence of significant levels of voluntary repatriation, there is no
alternative to the repatriation of those who are screened out
(paragraph 5.4). On 12 December 1989, the Foreign and Commonwealth
Secretary therefore announced the Government's decision to
repatriate 51 Vietnamese boat people who were not refugees, under a
bilateral agreement reached with the Vietnamese Government in June
1989 which guaranteed that returnees would not be punished by the
Vietnamese authorities. No force was used. Two former Ministers
(Lord Ennals and Mr Raison MP) visited Vietnam in January and
confirmed that no force had been used against those returned and
that they had not been ill-treated in any way. Discussions are
continuing with the Vietnamese Government on the practicalities of
non-voluntary repatriation. The agreement of June 1989 remains in
force.
33. The Steering Committee of the International Conference on
Indo-Chinese Refugees, which reconvened in Geneva in mid-January
narrowly failed to reach agreement on how to deal with those
determined not to be refugees following screening. Almost all the participants were prepared to accept that mandatory repatriation
could begin from 1 July 1990. In the end consensus was blocked by
the United States, which insisted that no one should be returned
involuntary before 1 January 1991 and by the Vietnamese who held out
for 1 October 1990. The Government have made clear to the United
States Administration that if they continue to oppose involuntary
repatriation, Hong Kong and the other places of first asylum would
look to the United States to provide an alternative solution.
CATAAU (14)
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