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ARRANGEMENTS BY WHICH WE EMBARKED ON THAT WAS BECAUSE THE OLD EVERYBODY WHO CAME BY BOAT FROM VIETNAM WAS SIMPLY TREATED AS A WERE ALL SETTLED REFUGEE WITHOUT ANY QUESTIONS ASKED, AND THEY

THOSE SIMPLY ELSEWHERE,

BROKE DOWN.

AND THEY BROKE DOWN, ESSENTIALLY, IN THE UNITED STATES WITH THE AMERICANS SAYING, THE PEOPLE COMING ARE NOT REALLY REFUGEES AND WE'RE NOT GOING TO SETTLE THEM IN THE UNITED STATES. SO WE HAD VERY LARGE NUMBERS OF PEOPLE COMING TO HONG KONG WITH NO HOPE, NO HOPE WHATSOEVER, OF EVER GETTING RELATTLED ELSEWHERE IN THE WORLD, SO WE STARTED SCREENING. NOW THERE IS ONE PART OF THAT SCREENING WHICH IS QUITE EASY AND THE WORLD HAS NO DIFFICULTY ABOUT REACHING AGREEMENT ON IT, AND THAT IS THAT THOSE WHO ARE POLITICAL REFUGEES, AS DEFINED BY UNHCR, THEY SHOULD BE RESETTLED AND THAT HAS BEEN GOING ON VERY SATISFACTORILY. THERE IS THE MUCH HARDER PART, AND THIS IS THE ONE THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE SIMPLY TRY TO TURN THEIR FACES AWAY FROM AND NOT FACE THE REALITY OF IT, AND THAT BE IS, WHAT DO YOU DO WITH THE VAST MAJORITY WHO ARE FOUND NOT TO POLITICAL REFUGEES? NOW, IN MY BOOK IT IS QUITE INHUMANE AND QUITE WRONG THAT THEY SHOULD SIMPLY LANGUISH IN CAMPS FOR YEAR AFTER YEAR AFTER YEAR, PARTICULARLY SINCE MOST OF THESE PEOPLE ARE YOUNG ABOUT A THIRD OF THEM ARE CHILDREN OF 16 AND UNDER. IT IS RIGHT THAT THEY SHOULD GO BACK TO THEIR OWN HOMES. AND THIS IS, AFTER ALL, WHAT IS DONE EVERYWHERE ELSE IN THE WORLD. I MEAN, THE UNITED STATES SENDS PEOPLE BACK TO HAITI, TO CENTRAL AMERICA; BRITAIN WOULD SEND PEOPLE BACK TO SRI LANKA: ALL OVER THE WORLD PEOPLE ARE RETURNED TO THEIR HOMES IF THEY ARE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS. WE DO IT TO CHINA THE WHOLE TIME. I SEE NO REASON AT ALL WHY VIETNAM AND THE VIETNAMESE SHOULD BE AN EXCEPTION AND THAT MEANS THAT I BELIEVE VIETNAM SHOULD CARRY OUT ITS INTERNATIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES BY ACCEPTING BACK ITS OWN PEOPLE, AS EVERY OTHER COUNTRY DOES, AND THAT WE SHOULD HAVE ARRANGEMENTS IN PLACE FOR SENDING BACK NON-REFUGEES I STRESS THAT, NON-REFUGEES

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WITH ADEQUATE MONITORING SO THAT WE AND EVERYBODY ELSE CAN KNOW THAT THEY ARE BEING REASONABLY TREATED WHEN THEY GO BACK.

OLIVER SCOTT: BUT WHAT DO YOU SAY TO THAT SUBSTANTIAL BODY OF OPINION WHICH TAKES STOCK OF THE FACT THAT THIS ENFORCED REPATRIATION, FOR WHATEVER REASON, HAS STOPPED, AND THEY ATTRIBUTE IT TO A COMBINATION OF MORAL OUTRAGE AND POLITICAL PRESSURE FROM WASHINGTON? SAY, IN EFFECT, THAT YOU ARE TOWING THE WASHINGTON LINE ON THIS.

SIR DAVID: OH NO, IT'S NOT A QUESTION OF TOWING A WASHINGTON LINE AT ALL. I MEAN, I WOULD CERTAINLY ACCEPT THAT OPPOSITION FROM THE UNITED STATES HAS BEEN A FACTOR IN ALL THIS BUT THE WAY IT IS OPERATED IS THAT THE VIETNAMESE GOVERNMENT HAS BEEN REFUSING TO ACCEPT PEOPLE BACK EXCEPT UNDER CONDITIONS WHICH ARE NOT ACCEPTABLE. SO THE PROBLEM IS THAT WE HAD AN AGREEMENT WITH VIETNAM WE STILL HAVE AN AGREEMENT

WITH VIETNAM BUT THEY HAVE BEEN RELUCTANT TO CONTINUE TO CARRY OUT THAT AGREEMENT AND, IN A SENSE, THEY HAVE BEEN ABLE TO HIDE BEHIND THE POSITION TAKEN BY THE UNITED STATES, WHICH IS FOR ITS OWN REASONS AND WITH ITS OWN PARTICULAR POLITICAL HISTORICAL BACKGROUND WITH VIETNAM OPPOSED TO THE IDEA OF SENDING PEOPLE BACK TO VIETNAM. NOW, WE WANT TO GET BACK TO A SITUATION BY WHICH WE CAN RETURN NON-REFUGEES TO VIETNAM. AND AGAIN I WOULD MAKE THE POINT THAT THIS IS SOMETHING WHICH HAPPENS EVERYWHERE ROUND THE WORLD. LET ME JUST TAKE ONE EXAMPLE ON THIS BECAUSE YOU TALKED ABOUT MORAL OUTRAGE

OLIVER SCOTT: YOU WILL HAVE TO BE FAIRLY BRIEF, DAVID, AS WE'RE ALMOST RUNNING OUT OF TIME.

I'M AFRAID,

SIR

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