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TO IMMEDIATE BRUNEI TELNO 129 OF 30 JUNE
INFO IMMEDIATE KUALA LUMPUR
کے
INFO PRIORITY HONG KONG SINGAPORE BANGKOK UKMIS GENEVA. YOUR TELS NOS 138 AND 142: VIETNAMESE REFUGEES.
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1. WE APPRECIATE THAT ISA WAS TRYING TO HELP. BUT THE SUGGESTION THAT THE REFUGEES COULD BE FLOWN TO HONG KONG FOR UN REFUGEE PROCESSING IS A NON-STARTER, AS HONG KONG WAS NOT THE 'ALTANIN FIRST PORT OF CALL AFTER THEY WERE PICKED UP AND THERE WOULD BE OBVIOUS IMPLICATIONS FOR HONG KONG IN ANY SIMILAR SITUATION IN THE FUTURE (HONG KONG TELNO 9 TO YOU).
2. GRATEFUL THEREFORE IF YOU WOULD COMMUNICATE IMMEDIATELY WITH
761 THE SULTAN (YOUR TELNO 138 PARA 3). YOU MAY SAY THAT, ALTHOUGH
THE UNHCR CANNOT GIVE A SPECIFIC COMMITMENT TO MOVE THE REFUGEES WITHIN A PERIOD OF TWO OR THREE MONTHS, THEY FEEL SURE IT CAN BE DONE. THEY WILL UNDERWRITE A COMMITMENT TO DO THEIR BEST TO RESETTLE THE REFUGEES WITHIN THE SHORTEST POSSIBLE TIME. YOU SHOULD ADD THAT, IN EXCEPTIONAL CASES LIKE THE PRESENT ONE, WHEN THEY ARE NOT INSISTING ON THEIR OWN REPRESENTATIVE PERSONALLY INTERVIEWING THE REFUGEES (OWING TO SHORTAGE OF TIME), THIS SORT OF ARRANGEMENT HAS WORKED VERY WELL IN THE PAST.
3. THE UNHCR WOULD UNDERTAKE TO MEET THE COST OF CARE AND MAINTENANCE AND ALSO OF TRANSPORTING THE REFUGEES FROM BRUNEI TO THE COUNTRY OF THEIR EVENTUAL RESIDENCE. UNHCR IN GENEVA WILL ASK THEIR REGIONAL OFFICE TO SEND A SPECIAL COMMUNICATION TO THE BRUNEI AUTHORITIES IN THE ABOVE SENSE. THIS SHOULD HELP YOUR APPROACH,
BUT YOU NEED NOT WAIT FOR IT.
4. ALTHOUGH WE HAVE AS YET NO SPECIFIC DETAILS ABOUT THE REFUGEES, IT APPEARS THAT SOME OF THEM HAVE RELATIVES IN THE US AND CANADA, THESE COUNTRIES MAY THEREFORE BE PREPARED TO HELP IN FINDING THEM A HOME (NO APPROACHES HAVE AS YET BEEN MADE TO THE AMERICAN OR CANADIAN AUTHORITIES).
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