6
UNHCR for its part was seeking to foresee and forestall constraints in the resettlement programme. Dossiers were being compiled on unaccompanied minors, which, incidentally, would show that few such minors were under 9 years old and the majority in fact aged 15-17.
With regard to the Swedish proposal to discuss reception and integration measures, UNHCR could send out a questionnaire to countries of resettlement to gather and compile material prior to the holding of such a meeting.··
REFUGEE PROCESSING CENTRES
17. The Deputy High Commissioner said that an agreement was about to be signed with the Government of the Philippines for the creation of a refugee processing centre. It was hoped to start work shortly on the refugee pro- cessing centre on Galang Island, Indonesia. The question of who would go to the processing centres had not yet been fully resolved, though the United States was processing persons who would proceed and be admitted to the USA at a later date. Contributions towards the creation of these centres would be welcome from all governments who felt able to contribute.
ORDERLY DEPARTURES
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18.
The Deputy High Commissioner said that the Office saw the Orderly Departures programme as an integral part of the total situation in South- East Asia which required the assistance of the international community. asked that countries exercise generosity and flexibility over the Orderly Departures programme in the same way that they did over refugee programmes generally.
19. The Deputy High Commissioner reported that whilst the rate of movement from Viet Nam had not increased in recent weeks, a great deal of work had been done on lists provided by governments to put the programme in place. UNHCR was shortly to open an office in Ho Chi Minh City and already had increased its staff in Viet lam to cover the programme adequately. The programme was based on the existence of lists of persons granted entry and exit visas, and governments were invited to supply UNHCR with lists of persons they were ready to admit to join their families or friends already resettled. It was a delicate operation on which concrete results in terms of numbers likely to move were difficult to predict at present.
UNHCR
20. Mr. P. Giguère (Permanent Mission of Canada) said that in Canada 6,000 requests had been received by the Government for family reunion. had been supplied with four lists representing 400 persons who were approved for movement to Canada, subject to medical clearance. 56 persons had already moved to Canada under the programme of Orderly Departures. If the 6,000 requests were multiplied by a factor of 2 or 3, some 12,000-18,000 persons could be approved for movement to Canada. However, many might already have left Viet Nam and it remained to be seen who would come under the Orderly Departures procedure.
21.
Ms. Jacqueline Ancel-Lenners (Luxembourg) said that her Government had presented two lists of family reunion cases to date.
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