XN000022-1989-12-13 — Page 4

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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 13, 1989

AS

BE

"ALL OF US, OF COURSE, WOULD PREFER THAT THOSE SCREENED OUT

VOLUNTEER ΤΟ IMMEDIATELY

TO RETURN WOULD NON-REFUGEES

VIETNAM. STILL CLING ΤΟ UNFORTUNATELY, MANY, INDEED SO FAR THE VAST MAJORITY THE FORLORN HOPE THAT THE WORLD WILL CHANGE ITS MIND AND THEY WILL RESETTLED. WE KNOW THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY KNOWS THAT THIS IS

AN THE CASE. THIS IS WHY WE HAVE FELT IT NECESSARY TO MOVE AHEAD WITH

BELIEVE THAT ORDERLY RETURN PROGRAMME FOR THOSE WHO SIMPLY COULD NOT THE COUNTRIES TO WHICH THEY WANTED TO GO DO NOT WANT THEM.

NOT

CHILDREN

OUR

BACK YESTERDAY. I WOULD LIKE TO. "THE FIRST GROUP WAS SENT

INCIDENTS, THAT THE ACCOMPANYING ASSURE MEMBERS THAT THERE WERE NO OFFICERS, BOTH MALE AND FEMALE, WERE NOT ARMED, AND THAT THE WHO RETURNED WERE PART OF FAMILY GROUPS. THROUGHOUT THE OPERATION

OF DIGNITY

THE PEOPLE CONCERNED. FIRST CONCERN WAS THE SAFETY AND

AFTER LET ME ALSO ASSURE MEMBERS THAT THESE PEOPLE WERE RETURNED ONLY

GOVERNMENT OF VIETNAM THAT THEY ASSURANCES WERE RECEIVED FROM THE

PUNISHED AND THAT WOULD BE TREATED HUMANELY, THAT THEY WOULD NOT BE

INTO THEIR

WOULD RE-INTEGRATION

BE OPEN TO MONITORING. BUILDING ON THESE ARRANGEMENTS, IT 18 OUR INTENTION TO PUT INTO PLACE A CONTINUING PROGRAMME TO RETURN TO VIETNAM ALL ARE JUDGED NOT TO BE REFUGEES.

IN SOCIETY

VIETNAM

THOSE WHO

RETURN "THIS FIRST

HAS ATTRACTED SOME CRITICISM OVERSBAS. THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN LOUDEST IN HOWEVER, I FEEL BOUND TO SAY THAT

BRINGING FORWARD PRACTICAL THEIR CONDEMNATION HAVE BEEN SLOWEST IN

FIRST CRITICS

THAT WE REACHED OUR ALTERNATIVES. 1 CAN ASSURE OUR

AS TO WHAT WAS THE MOST SOUL-SEARCHING DECISION ONLY AFTER MUCH

AND SECONDLY, THAT WE HAVE HUMANE AND PRACTICAL COURSE TO FOLLOW,

COMMUNITY IS A RETURNED NO ONE WHO IN THE EYES OF THE INTERNATIONAL

CONFIRMED BONA FIDE REFUGEE. IN THIS CONTEXT MR ROBERT VAN LEUWEN HAS

NONE OF THOSE RETURNED EXPLICITLY THAT UNHCR QUALIFIED AS REFUGEES.

WAS

THAT SATISFIED

"SIR, THIS IS NOT

A ROLE OR

WE

HAVE

RESPONSIBILITY WHICH SOUGHT. IT IS ONE WHICH GEOGRAPHY AND CIRCUMSTANCE HAS THRUST UPON US.

WE WE HAVE RESPONDED WITH HUMANITY AND DECENCY TO A PROLONGED CRISIS.

STANDS ARE CONFIDENT THAT OUR

IF OBJECTIVELY ASSESSED, RECORD,

NOT LOOK FOR THE COMPARISON WITH ANYWHERE ELSE IN THE WORLD. WE DO

WORLD'S WORLD'S APPLAUSE, BUT WE ARE ENTITLED, I FEEL, TO ASK FOR THE

UNDERSTANDING.

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