CONFIDENTIAL
the discussions in Bali.
Nevertheless large transit sites of this sort would materially ease the pressures in countries of first refuge. We should support any proposal (while urging that refugees from Hong Kon should be included), because it will help efforts to induce the South East Asian countries to revert uninhibitedly to being "places of first asylum". However we should warn Vietnam against taking advantage of any scheme to increase the flood of refugees.
4.
The Americans have apparently asked the Chinese to consider a large transit camp There seems little to be gained in pursuing this idea; it might in fact increase the pressure on Hong Kong. should in any case be sited away from the South China coast.
Guam
5. Guam has mentioned as a possible centre by Ghazali Shafie in Geneva in December 1978. He reverted to the idea of a processing centre in the USA or in a US-controlled territory in late June, and also mentioned Okinawa (Japan) as a possibility.
New Hebrides
I t
6. In January 1979, an opposition political leader, Jimmy Stevens, offered 2,300 places on Maewo island through an Australian voluntary organisation. Maewo forms part of the NA GRIAMEL group for which Stevens claims independence. The New Hebrides Government, with
support of the two metropolitan powers, has denied Stevens right to make such an offer, although he continues to publicise it.
7.
The potential of the New Hebrides as a site for resettlement has not been seriously studied. Even if a site could be located and finance arranged, the present political situation (Constitutional Conference in September 1979, Independence? May 1980), the need for coordination with the French, and the link to Stevens' seccessionist aims mean that any approach to the New Hebrides. Government before independence would raise extremely difficult problems. The views of the British Resident Commissioner might be
sought after Geneva.
UN Island
8. The UN would find it difficult to buy an island for permanent occupation, because of budgetary and ethnic problems.
UN Trusteeship
would create political problems. UNHCR's normal policy is to help the local authorities in the running of camps rather than assume direct responsibility for them. The precedent of UNRWA in the Middle East is not attractive to UNHCR, who prefer to seek durable
/solutions
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CONFIDENTIAL
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