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Fax to P Dykes Esq

Asst. Solicitar Creneed

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Reference. H+K (24.1/4

Ms J Barrett

Assistant Legal Adviser

K 166

270 3381

25 February 1991

(without enclosures)

Mr Bruce, SEAD

Mr Walwyn, UND

Mr Hendry, Legal Advisers

Mr Rankin, Legal Advisers

RAMay 2/3.

Ms Major

Hong Kong Department

VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE AND THE ICCPR/BOR

1.

John Rankin has now completed extensive research on the jurisprudence of the Human Rights Committee relating to Article 9(1) and (4) ICCPR, trailed in my minute to you of 24 January, paragraph 5. This has involved reading over fifty decisions of the HRC on communications submitted under the Optional Protocol, for which I am extremely grateful to him. I attach a copy of his minute to me summarising his findings.

2. The two cases which appear to me the most relevant are 236/1987 and 296/1988.

(i)

236/1987 was an immigration case brought against Canada. The author had entered Canada illegally and been detained for two months prior to deportation on the ground that he was a danger to the public and was likely not to appear for the deportation hearings. The HRC found his allegation of a breach of Article 9(1) not substantiated, as he had been lawfully arrested and the decision to detain was not arbitrary "especially in view of his insistence not to leave the country". Canada had indicated that according to their security and criminal intelligence reports, they had reasonable grounds to believe that the author would engage in subversion.

(ii)

In 296/1988, the author had been detained pending deportation for 16 months and was still in detention at the time of the hearing. quote from the report (paragraph 8.4):

I

"With regard to a possible breach of Article 9

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