TNAG-0892-FCO40-1102-Refugees-from-Vietnam-in-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-boat-people-1979 — Page 241

6.

CONFIDENTIAL

ATTITUDE OF SOUTH EAST ASIAN COUNTRIES TOWARDS INDO-CHINESE REFUGEES

1. The Malaysians were initially hospitable to refugees, who were

received in camps where the UNHCR was given access to them. 75,000

are now there. But out of 48,000 arrivals in 1979, less than 22,000

have been resettled outside the country.

2. But the Malaysians do not contemplate permanent resettlement

for any of the refugees. They claim to have spent already the

equivalent of £6.5 million on their welfare.

3. Opinion has hardened against the refugees. The Malaysians

acknowledge having towed away from their shores in 1979 267 boats

carrying 40,000 people. The boats are alleged to have been

replenished before being sent on. Many of the boats will have gone

to Indonesia. Discussions between Malaysia and Indonesia are in

progress aimed at enabling joint naval patrols to be maintained in

future, to see off newcomers but the Malaysians are critical of

alleged Indonesian incompetence and failure to grasp the magnitude

of the problem.

4 -

The Malaysians have no current intention of expelling refugees

from the permanent camps in their country, but they are adopting a

harsher policy towards all refugees, and the Malaysian Prime Minister

has spoken of the need to "send them out" if they are not accepted

elsewhere for resettlement with a reasonable time-frame. (See postscrip

5. The Indonesians have stated that they will not accept any

further Vietnamese refugees (although we believe they will do so, if

boats would sink if pushed out to sea again). Otherwise their

naval vessels "see off" refugee boats. As many of the refugees are

of Chinese ethnic origin, the Indonesians, who recall the role of

/their

CONFIDENTIAL