TNAG-0899-FCO40-1109-Refugees-from-Vietnam-in-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-boat-people-1979 — Page 116

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WE WELCOME THE STATEMENT OF THE VIETNAMESE REPRESENTATIVE THAT HIS GOVERNMENT WILL CONTINUE TO OBSERVE ITS COMMITMENTS, BUT THAT FALLS SHORT OF THE CHANGE WHICH IS NECESSARY.

WHAT WE HAVE SEEN SINCE GENEVA MAY BE THE BEGINNING OF A

PERMANENT CHANGE IN THE POLICIES OF THE GOVERNMENT

OF VIETNAM. BUT IT IS MUCH TOO EARLY TO SAY WITH CONVICTION THAT THE PROBLEM IS WELL ON THE WAY TO SOLUTION: A GOVERNMENT WHICH CAN REDUCE THE CUTFLOW OF BOAT PEOPLE FROM 70,000 IN JUNE

TO LESS THAN 10,000 IN AUGUST CAN AS EASILY REVERSE THE PROCESS, IF THE ROOT CAUSES OF THE PROBLEM, WHICH LORD CARRINGTON IDENTIFIED IN GENEVA AS THE POLICIES OF THE VIETNAMESE GOVERNMENT, ARE NOT ADEQUATELY DEALT WITH.

E) THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT HAS A PARTICULAR RESPONSIBILITY FOR HONG KOMG. OF THE 180,000 BOAT PEOPLE STILL AWITING RESETTLEMENT ON 30 SEPTEMBER, OVER A THIRD WERE IN HONG KONG, THE SMALLEST WAS MOST DENSELY POPULATED OF ALL THE PLACES OF FIRST ASYLUM. OVER 7,000 BOAT REFUGEES HAVE REACHED HONG KONG SINCE GENEVA: LESS THAT 16,000 LEFT FOR FINAL RESETTLEMENT IN THE FIRST 10 MONTHS OF 1979. OVER 62,000 STILL AWAIT

RESETTLEMENT THERE, AND IN SPITE OF THE BURDEN IMPOSED, THE GOVERNMENT OF HONG KONG HAS TURNED NONE AWAY. WE HOPE THAT THE COMING MONTHS WILL SHOW A BREAKTHROUGH IN THE NUMBERS OF REFUGEES LEAVING

HONG KONG: SO FAR THEY HAVE ONLY STABLILISED, AND AT PRESENT RATES OF RESETTLEMENT, MANY REFUGEES WILL HAVE TO STAY IN CAMPS THERE FOR ANOTHER 2 YEARS OR MORE. HONG KONG'S HUMANITARIAN RECORD IS UNPARALLELED: IT SHOULD RECEIVE A FULL SHARE OF THE RESETTLEMENT PLACES AVAILABLE.

F) ON SPECIFIC ASPECTS OF THE SECRETARY-GENERAL'S REPORT, THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT WELCOMES THE CONCLUSIONS ON RESCUE AT SEA. THEY CONTINUE TO BELIEVE THAT THE BEST GUARANTEE THAT REFUGEES WILL BE GIVEN ASSISTANCE BY MERCHANT SHIPPING

IS THE GENERAL IMPLEMENTATION OF THE FIRST PORT OF CALL PRINCIPLE: ONLY SUCH A GENERAL PRACTICE WILL ALLOW ALL MERCHANT SHIPPING IN THE AREA TO FULFIL ITS HUMANITARIAN DUTY

TO RENDER ASSISTANCE AND CAVE LIFE AT SEA WITHOUT RISKING HEAVY COSTS AND THE DISRUPTION OF NORMAL ACTIVITIES. SINCE JULY WE HAVE NOTED ENCOURAGING DEVELOPMENTS ON THIS .. SUBJECT IN THE POLICIES OF SEVERAL COUNTRIES IN THE REGION.

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