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Committee recommended that the Government should press the United
States to accept responsibility for the accommodation of those
screened out until such time as they are content to accept their repatriation to Vietnam (paragraph 5.6). The Government are doing
this.
34. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees,
Mr Stoltenberg, launched a new initiative in mid-March aimed at
tackling the root causes of the exodus from Vietnam and increasing
the number of voluntary returns. He indicated that UNHCR would be
willing to monitor the conditions of all who return to Vietnam, on a
good offices and time limited basis, provided there was consensus in
support. The Government will continue to work closely with UNHCR for a comprehensive and durable solution. The Government's
objective is to ensure that the rate of returns to Vietnam is
sustained at 1,000 a month and that if there are fewer than 1000
volunteers, the difference should be made up by non-volunteers.
Government hope that there will be an international consensus
opening the way to UNHCR monitoring the conditions of all who
return. The Government are also working closely with UNHCR to limit
any shortcomings there may be in the screening process.
The
35. The Government agree with the Committee that assistance should
be given to those who return to Vietnam (paragraph 5.4).
Reintegration assistance is already being made available to help
returnees settle back into their communities, with volunteers
receiving slightly more generous terms. The Government are also
considering financial support for NGO activities in areas of Vietnam from which boat people predominantly come. However, programme aid
would need to await full acceptance by the Vietnamese authorities of
their obligations towards their own people.
36.
The Committee recommended that the Government should take
vigorous steps to secure a more positive and responsible approach by
the Chinese Government to the problem of Vietnamese boat people
CATAAU (15)
CONFIDENTIAL