TNAG-0883-FCO40-1093-Refugees-from-Vietnam-in-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-boat-people-1979 — Page 155

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BY BAG CONFIDENTIAL

FM HANOI

CONFIDENTIAL

HIK

PALIVEO #

---2-€ MAR 1979

SAVING TELEGRAL INDEY

1283

TO FCO SAVING TELNO 3 OF 5 MARCH 1979, AND SAVING TO UKMI'S GENEV HONG KONG BANGKOK KUALA LUMPUR MANILA CANBERRA WASHINGTON.

(HAVE ALL BEEN PASSED)

FROM HANOI

VISIT OF DEPUTY UN HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGEES.

1. THE DEPUTY UNHCR, DE HAAN VISITED VIETNAP FROM 26 FEBRUARY TO 5 MARCH AND BRIEFED SOME WESTERN AMBASSADORS BEFORE HE LEFT. HE SAID THAT HIS VISIT HAD BEEN PROMPTED BY THE VIETNAMESE ANNOUN- CEMENT ON 12 JANUARY THAT, WITH SOME EXCEPTIONS, VIETNAMESE WHO WISHED TO LEAVE THE COUNTRY TO JOIN THEIR FAMILIES OR TO SETTLE IN OTHER COUNTRIES WOULD BE ALLOWED TO DO SC(MYTELLO 26): AND BY THE. FACT THAT ONE OF THE CONCLUSIONS OF THE DECEMBER MEETING IN GENEVA HAD INCLUDED THE POSSIBILITY GF ORDERLY MOVEMENT OF REFUGEES FROM VIETNAM. IN DISCUSSIONS OVER THE LAST WEEK, THE VIETNAMESE AUTH- CRITIES HAD AGREED TO INSTITUTE A PROGRAMME, IN COOPERATION WITH

UNHCR AND COUNTRIES OF RESETTLEMENT, TO FACILITATE THE MOVEMENT OF PEOPLE OUT OF VIETNAM. THIS AGREEMENT WAS MORE THAN ONE OF PRINCIPLE ALTHOUGH A NUMBER OF TECHNICAL POINTS HAD STILL TO BE WORKED OUT. HE HOPED THAT A MODEST BEGINNING COULD HE MADE SOON: THIS WOULD PROBABLY BE IN THE FIELD CF FAMILY REUNION, DE HAAN HAD ALSO DIS- CUSSED CAMBODIAN REFUGEES, HE THOUGHT A LARGE NUMBER NOW IN VIETNAM WOULD RETURN TO CAMBODIA OVER A PERIOD OF TIME. HE WAS HOPEFUL THAT SOME OF THE REFUGEES, PARTICULARLY THOSE IN HO CHI MINH CITY, WOULD RE SETTLE IN THIRD COUNTRIES. UNHCR HAD SENT DOSSIERS ON SUCH CASES TO GOVERNMENTS CONCERNED: HE HOPED THEY WOULD RESPOND POSITIVE- LY. THE VIETNAMESE HAD RAISED WITH HIM THE QUESTION OF PEOPLE DIS- PLACED BY THE PRESENT SING/VIETNAMESE FIGHTING, THIS WAS A VERY -SENSITIVE MATTER WHICH HAD ITS HUMANITARIAN SIDE.

IN DISCUSSION, DE HAAN DID NOT ENLARGE ON THE AGREEMENT FOR AN ORDERLY MOVEMENT CF REFUGEES FROM VIETNAM. HE THOUGHT THAT IF A LEGAL ALTERNATIVE TO THE PRESENT EXODUS WERE

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INTRODUCED, THE PRESSURE TO LEAVE ILLEGALLY ON BOATS AND SHIPS WOULD DECREASE. HE THOUGHT THAT DEPARTURE ON LARGE SHIPS SUCH AS THE HUEY FONG AND SKYLUCK WOULD DIMINISH AND PERHAPS END. WHEN QUESTIONED ABOUT NUMBERS INVOLVED IN SUCH A PROGRAMME HE REPLIED THAT THE IMPLEMENTATION WOULD ITSELF DEFINE THE NUMBERS: THERE HAD TO BE A BALANCE BETWEEN THE CLAIMS OF THOSE WANTING TO LEAVE AND THE WILLINGNESS OF COUNTRIES TO RECEIVE THEM. HE EMPHAS-

ISED THAT NO NEW MOVEMENT OF REFUGEES FROM VIETNAM COULD BE MADE AT THE EXPENSE OF THE EXISTING BACKLOG OF VIETNAME SE REFUGEES AT PRESENT IN OTHER COUNTRIES AWAITING FINAL RESETTLEMENT. DE HAAN WOULD NOT BE PINNED DOWN ON THE TIME FRAME IN WHICH HE ENVISAGED THE PROGRAMME CPERATING. HE SAID IT WAS IMPORTANT TO BEGIN THE PROGRAMME: ONCE STARTED, IT WOULD DEVELOP A MOMENTUM.

CONFIDENTIAL

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13.

IN