XN000022-1990-04-10 — Page 4

TUESDAY, APRIL 10, 1990

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NO GOING BACK ON MANDATORY REPATRIATION: MAUDE

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THERE IS NO GOING BACK ON THE POLICY OF MANDATORY REPATRIATION OF VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE, THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS, MR FRANCIS MAUDE, SAID TODAY (TUESDAY).

SPEAKING TO REPORTERS AFTER A MEETING WITH DISTRICT BOARD CHAIRMEN, MR MAUDE SAID THE FIRST STEP ON MANDATORY REPATRIATION TAKEN IN DECEMBER AND IT WAS EFFECTIVE.

WAS

"IT STARTED THE PROCESS OF GETTING THE MESSAGE ACROSS, ESPECIALLY IN NORTH VIETNAM, THAT THERE WAS NOWHERE FOR THESE PEOPLE TO GO EXCEPT BACK TO VIETNAM AND OF COURSE IT REMAINS UNDERPINNING THE WHOLE OF OUR POLICY ON VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE.

"THE POLICY THAT IN THE LAST RESORT THERE REMAINS MANDATORY REPATRIATION AND WE HAVE KEPT OPEN AT EVERY STAGE THE POSSIBILITY THAT WE MIGHT START IT AGAIN," HE SAID.

THE MINISTER POINTED OUT THAT IF THERE WAS NO INFLUX OF BOAT PEOPLE IT WAS UNLIKELY THAT ONE WOULD WANT TO USE MANDATORY REPATRIATION, ADDING: "BUT THERE REMAINS BEHIND THIS POLICY ALL THE TIME THE UNDERPINNING OF IT IS THE CERTAINTY THAT PEOPLE HAVE ΤΟ ВЕ SENT BACK THERE.

"IF THEY GO BACK VOLUNTARILY SO MUCH THE BETTER BUT THERE CAN'T BE ANY SENSE OF THERE BEING AN OPTION. THE ONLY PLACE FOR THESE PEOPLE TO GO IS BACK TO VIETNAM," HE SAID.

"AND THAT'S ACCEPTED BY EVERYBODY. BY VIETNAM, BY UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, AND VERY CLEARLY BY THE UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSION FOR REFUGEES WHO HAD STRONGLY SUPPORTED THE POLICY OF MANDATORY REPATRIATION,' MR MAUDE SAID.

THE MINISTER NOTED THAT THE FIRST REPATRIATION WAS CARRIED OUT WITHOUT CONSULTING THE UNITED STATES, ADDING: "IT ISN'T OPEN TO THEM TO VETO THESE MATTERS. THESE ARE MATTERS FOR US TO DECIDE WITH THE COUNTRY WHICH RECEIVES THEM BACK.'

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HE POINTED OUT THAT THERE WAS NOW MORE BOAT PEOPLE LEAVING HONG THAN ARRIVING BECAUSE OF THE SUBSTANTIALLY INCREASED NUMBER OF VOLUNTEERS RETURNING.

KONG

"THERE IS A BACKLOG. THERE ARE SOMETHING LIKE 1,500, 1,600 PEOPLE WHO HAVE VOLUNTEERED TO GO BACK TO VIETNAM. THE PROBLEM SO FAR HAS BEEN THE INABILITY OF VIETNAM TO ACCEPT THEM BACK, MR MAUDE SAID.

"WHAT I SOUGHT TO DO WHEN I WAS IN HANOI TWO MONTHS AGO WAS TO PERSUADE THEM ΤΟ REACH AGREEMENT THAT THOSE NUMBERS COULD BE DRAMATICALLY INCREASED. THEY WERE, THOSE NUMBERS WERE INCREASED FIVE

TIMES.

"THAT SHOULD MEAN WITH THE PRESENT RATE OF VOLUNTEERING, THE BACKLOG SHOULD BE CLEARED PERHAPS BY THE MIDDLE OF THIS SUMMER, MAUDE SAID.

MR

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