TNAG-0793-FCO40-997-Refugees-from-Vietnam-in-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-boat-people-1978 — Page 72

OORTTUENTIAL

AND NEW ZEALAND, APPARENTLY INTEND TO MOVE TOWARD ANNUAL QUOTAS RATHER THAN INTERMITENI ANNOUNCEMENTS OF NEW NUMBERS EVERY FEW YEARS. EVEN RELATIVELY SMALL NUMBERS • WHEN THEY ARE TAKEN CUMULATIVELY ON A REGULARIZED BASIS > WOULD INCREASE SUBSTANTIALLY THE ANNUAL QUOTA ON WHICH THE UNHCR AND COUNTRIES OF FIRST ASYLUM CAN RELY.. A

THO UG HI FUL AUSTRALIAN SUGGESTION CONCERNS THE FEASIBILITY OF ESTABLISHING A REGIONAL QUOIA FOR WESTERN EUROPE OR FOR THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY. THIS HAS THE APPARENT ADVAN- TAGE OF BEING SOMETHING FRANCE MIGHT BE ABLE TO SUPPORT IN ORDER TO GET OTHER EUROPEAN COUNTRIES MORE ACTIVELY INVOLVED IN RESETTLEMENT. THIS WOULD ALSO BE AN APPRO –

PRIATE FOLLOW -ON TO THE ASEAN-EC TALKS.

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PERMANENT RESETTLEMENT IN SOUTHEAST AMERICA AND AFRICA REMAINS LARGELY UNEXPLORED; AND IN VIEW OF THE NEW DIMENSIONS OF THE REFUGEE EXODUS, THESE AREAS SHOULD BE CONSIDERED. THERE IS A SMALL BUT SUCCESSFUL RURAL REFUGEE RESETTLEMENT PROJECT IN FRENCH GUIANA, WITH A PRESENT POPULATION OF ABOUT 800. THIS UNPUBLICIZED PROJECT DEMON- STRATES THE PRACTICALITY OF RESETTLING RURAL REFUGEES IN MARGINAL AREAS WHERE THEIR SKILLS AND ACCLIMATIZATION WOULD BE VALUABLE ASSETS. TENTATIVE APPROACHES TO BRAZIL INDICATED THAT REFUGEES OR OTHERS WHO WANTED TO SETTLE THERE HAD TO BRING THEIR OWN CAPITAL. THERE ARE AREAS OF SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA, PARTICULARLY THE FRANCO PHONE COUNTRIES, WHERE THERE ALREADY ARE VIETNAMESE SETTLED SINCE THE OLD COLONIAL DAYS AND WHERE, WITH THE DIPLOMATIC SUPPORT OF FRANCE, OPENINGS MIGHT BE FOUND FOR ADDITIONAL RESETTLE- MENT. IN ALL SUCH CASES, WE BELIEVE THE UNHCR WOULD HAVE .... TO BE THE PRIMARY MOTIVATION AND IMPLEMENTING FORCE. GIVEN THE ECONOMIC PROBLEMS OF LDC'S WITH A POTENTIAL FOR RESETTLEMENT, THE UNHCR WOULD HAVE TO BE PREPARED FROM THE BEGINNING WITH THE ABILITY TO GUARANTEE FULL FUNDING FOR SUCH PROJECTS. THUS FAR, THERE HAS BEEN NO APPROACH TO ANY POTENTIAL THIRD COUNTRY OF RESETTLEMENT IN WHICH FULL FUNDING WAS PART OF THE PROPOSAL, THOUGH WE HAVE INDICATED TO THAILAND THAT LOCAL FUNDING BY THE INTER- NATIONAL COMMUNITY COULD BE OBTAINED FOR ANY LOCAL SETTLEMENTS IN THAILAND. AN ASSOCIATED PROBLEM, OF 00 LR SE, AND ONE THAT WOULD HAVE TO BE WORKED OUT THOROUGH- LY, WOULD BE THAT OF CONTINUING OVERSIGHT AND CONTROL. THIS IS A PROBLEM THAT HAS CROPPED UP IN PRELIMINARY DIS- CUSSIONS OF RESETTLEMENT IN THAILAND, BRINGING UP PROBLEMS OF NATIONALISM AND SO VERE IG NTY; AND, IN ANY CASE, AT SOME TIME, THE UNHCR ROLE HAS TO TERMINATE ONCE THE REFUGEE IS ACCEPTED FOR RESETTLEMENT.

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IN ADDITION TO ROUTINE CARE AND FEEDING RESPONSIBILI- TIES, THE UNHCR OFTEN PAYS FOR TRANSPORTATION FROM CAMPS TO COUNTRIES OF RESETTLEMENT AND FOR SPECIAL PROJECTS RELATED TO RESETTLEMENT. IF AN ISLAND TRANSIT CAMP IS ESTABLISHED, IT WILL BE AN ADDITIONAL MAJOR FINANCIAL BURDEN. IN MANY AREAS, ESSENTIAL REFUGEE WORK IS FARMED OUT TO VOLUNTARY AGENCIES. THE EXPANSION OF THE REFUGEE PROBLEM HAS PLACED UNHCR AND VOLUNTARY AGENCIES ALIKE UNDER GREAT FINANCIAL STRAIN. URGENT ATTENTION MUST BE GIVEN AT THE CONSULTATION TO PROVIDING FINANCIAL SUPPORT QUOTAS FROM ALL COUNTRIES CAPABLE OF CONTRIBUTING. DEVELOPED COUNTRIES MAY WELL BE ABLE TO PROVIDE BOTH RESETTLEMENT AND FUNDS. COUNTRIES FOR ONE REASON OR ANOTHER UNABLE TO PROVIDE RESETTLEMENT SHOULD BE MADE TO FEEL AN OBLIGATION TO PROVIDE AN ADDED MEASURE OF FUNDING.

CONFIDENTIAL