TNAG-0888-FCO40-1098-Refugees-from-Vietnam-in-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-boat-people-1979 — Page 56

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7. 1 I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT WE COULD HAVE EXPECTED ANYTHING MORE THAN THIS. ASEAN REPRESENTATIVES HAD ALREADY BEEN GIVEN THEIR RESPECTIVE GOVERNMENT'S INSTRUCTIONS WHICH PRECLUDED HONG KONG'S ACCESS TO THE PC. WHAT WE HAVE SUCCEEDED IN DOING IS TO

AVOID HAVING THE DOOR SLAMMED AND LOCKED AGAINST HONG KONG. YOU MAY WISH TO CONSIDER FOLLOW-UP LOBBYING IN ALL ASEAN CAPITALS AND

WITH UNHCR,

8. THERE WAS A GOOD DEAL OF ARGUMENT WHETHER THE PRINCIPLE OF GRANTING FIRST ASYLUM SHOULD (AS THE ASEAN COUNTRIES, NOTABLY MALAYSIA, INSISTED) BE DEPENDENT OY THEIR RECEIVING COMMITMENTS FOR RESETTLEMENT OF THE THIRD COUNTRIES, OR WHETHER THE UNHCR'S LINE THAT THE PRINCIPLE OF GRANTING FIRST ASYLUM OUGHT NOT TO BE IMPAIRED BY THE ESTABLISHMENT OF PCS SHOULD BE ACCEPTED WITHOUT CONDITION, THE CONCLUDING SUMMARY RECORDS BOTH POINTS OF VIEW.

9.

THE SUMMARY ENDS BY RECORDING 3 CONCLUSIONS REACHED AT THE

MEETING:

?*

(A) A CONSENSUS OF SUPPORT TO PROCEED WITH THE REALISATION OF A PROCESSING CENTRE EMBODIED'' IN THE ASEAN STATEMENT OF 21 FEBRUARY (THE WORD EMBODIED, WHICH REPLACED THE EXPRESSION ''ON THE BASIS OF PRINCIPLES AND CONDITIONS IN THE ASEAN STATEMENT) REFLECTED THE HESITATION OF MANY REPRESENTATIVES OVER THE FIRST POINT IN THE ASEAN STATEMENT THAT, AS A CONDITION OF ESTABLISHING A PROCESSING CENTRE, THE COUNTRIES OF FIRST TRANSIT **SHOULD BE GIVEN COMMITMENTS SO THAT THEY WILL NOT BE SADDLED WITH THE RESIDUAL PROBLEM,''

(B) THE UNHCR STATED ITS READINESS TO BEGIN A FEASIBILITY STUDY OF THE INDONESIAN ISLAND OF GALANG, IN WHICH TASK IT WOULD BE ASSISTED BY THE INDONESIAN GOVERNMENT, BY OTHER UN AGENCIES AND BY OTHER COUNTRIES PARTICIPATING IN THE MEETING, (JAPAN MADE AN OFFER TO SEND EXPERTS TO HELP IN THE STUDY).

(c) A HOPE THAT RESULTS OF THE STUDY COULD BE MADE AVAILABLE VERY

QUICKLY.

10. THE PHILIPPINE REPRESENTATIVE SAID THAT HIS GOVERNMENT WOULD ALSO REQUEST THE UNHCR AND OTHER AGENCIES TO UNDERTAKE A SIMILAR

URGENT FEASIBILITY STUDY FOR TARA ISLAND.

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