TNAG-0895-FCO40-1105-Refugees-from-Vietnam-in-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-boat-people-1979 — Page 244

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Vietnamese Statement

PEOPLE AND PROPOSALS BY MALAYSIA”. (PREVIOUSLY HANDED OVER ' IN ONDON). PROPOSINC PROCESSING CENTRES IN VIETNAM RUD DY UNICR EVEN THOUGH THAT WOULD REQUIRE A COMPLETE NEW MAKDATE FOR UNHCR,

HE ALSO PROPOSED PROCESSING CENTRES IN RESETTLEMENT COUNTRIES, SUCH AS OKINAWA (BUT NOT CUAR AND NEW CALADONIA). REFUGEES

BEING PROCESSED THERE NEED HOT NECESSARILY GO TO JAPAN. MALAYSIA

WAS DETERMINED TO REMOVE ALL ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS AND LEAVE NO

RESIDUE. MALAYSIA HAD TAKEN 2,300 REFUGEES FOR PERMANENT

SETTLEMENT PUT WOULD TAKE HOT ONE MORE. IT WOULD HELP IF THE

SENSE OF FEAR IN VIETNAM COULD BE ELIMINATED. HE WAS GLAD

VIETNAM WAS PRESENT SO THAT THERE COULD DE FURTHER COOPERATION

AND HE WELCOMED THE SEVEN POINT UNICR/ VIETNAM PLAN. UNLESS

FURTHER PERMANENT RESETTLEMENT OFFERS WERE ASSURED MALAYSIA WOULD

FAVE TO CONTINUE TO TAKE FIRM MEASURES WITH NEW ARRIVALS.

5. PHAN HEIN, VIETNAMESE FOREIGN MINISTER SAID VIETNAM'S

PRESENCE AT THE MEETING PROVED THEIR FOODWILL: THEY HOPED TO

ACHIEVE CONCRETE SOLUTIONS. THE DEVASTATION FOLLOING 33 YEARS

OF WAR WAS PROVING HARD TO REPAIR, AND THERE HAD BEEN FURTHER

WARS. VIETIAM WAS IN TOUCH WITH UNHCR. HE READ OUT THE SEVEN

POINTS OF THE 33 MAY ARRANGEMENT. IT SHOULD DE EXPANDED. VIETNAM

REALISED THE PROBLER FOR THE ASEAN COUNTRIES AND WAS HAVING

BILATERAL TALKS WITH THEM. AT THIS MEETING IT WAS NECESSARY

TO CONCENTRATE ON HUMANITARIAN ASPECTS AND AVOID ALL POLITICAL

MANOEUVRES WHICH WOULD SABOTAGE THE PURPOSE OF THE MEETING.

PE THEN LISTED FIVE PROPOSALS. FIRST, VIETNAM WOULD JONTINUE

TO COOPERATE ITH WAMOR ON ORDERLY DEPARTURE AND WOULD PUNISH

THOSE WHO ATTEMPTED TO LEAVE ILLEGALLY. SECOND, TO HELP

ASEAN THEY SUPPORTED THE IDEA OF TRANSIT CAMPS WHICH MIGHT DE SET UP FOR EXAMPLE IN GUAM, OKINAWA AND CHINA, (VIETNAM „OULD

ALSO CONSIDER THE IDEA OF SETTIN UP TRANSIT CENTRES

INSIDE VIETNAM). THIRD, THE RICH COUNTRIES SHOUL CONTRIBUTE MORE

FINANCE AND RECEIVE MORE REFUGEES FOR PERMANENT SETTLEMENT.

THE FOURTH AND FIFTH POINTS AMMOUNTED TO AN APPEAL TO OTHER COUNTRIES

AND INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIO IS ALSO TO HELP RELIEVE THE BURDEN

FROM THE FIRST ASYLUM COUNTRIES. HE CONCLUDED BY EXPRESSING GRATITUD

TO THE COUNTRIES WHICH HAD OFFERED AID MIC WAS SO VITAL TOR REST-

RING VIETNAM'S ECONOMY.N

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/ 6. MR O'KENNEDY,