TNAG-0972-FCO40-1191-Vietnamese-refugees-in-Hong-Kong-1980 — Page 149

GOLVCS ARE NOT ALLOVED TO INTERVILY APPLICANT

體

AID THEREFORE HAVE GREAT DIFFICULTY IN ESTABLISHING

WHO MIGHT HAVE A CLAIM TO BE A PAROLE CASE. AT THE MOMENT

WHCP HAVE ONLY 520 CASES ON WHICH THEY ARE WORKING,

CLARANCE THINKS SOME PROGRESS WILL BE MADE ONCE

HE CAN GET THE AMERICAN MEMBER OF HIS TEAM TO NO

CHI MINH CITY. BUT THE VIETNAMESE WILL NOT ALLOW THIS UNTIL THERE ARE 1,800 CASES ON WHICH TO WORK. IF CLARANCE CANNOT MAKE PROGRESS WITH US CASES, HE PLANS TO SWITCH THE EMPHASIS TO REFUGEES FOR OTHER COUNTRIES, ALTHOUGH, THERE AGAIN, THERE ARE FORMIDABLE DIFFICULTIES. THE FRENCH LIST OF 3,500 NAMES HAS ALMOST NONE WHICH THE VIETNAMESE ARE PREPARED TO CONSIDER. CLARANCE SUMMED IT ALL UP FOR ME BY SAYING THE PROGRAMME WAS GOING THROUGH A DIFFICULT PERIOD BUT WAS FAR FROM DEAD’*

2. THE AUSTRALIANS PECENTLY ASKED IF THEY COULD SEND AN OFFICIAL TO HANOI TO DISCUSS MODALITIES OF TAXING MORE REFUGEES. THEY WERE TOLD THAT THE OFFICIAL COULD NOT COME UNLESS THEY FIRST AGREED IN PRINCIPLE TO TAKE PEOPLE NOMINATED BY VIETNAM, VIZ NON-FAMILY REUNION CASES. A CANADIAN CONSULAR OFFICIAL WHO VISITED HANOI IN JANUARY WAS TOLD THAT UNLESS CANADA AGREED TO TAKE CASES FROM THE VIETNAMESE LIST THEY COULD EXPECT BOAT DEPARTURES TO RESUME (A FIGURE OF 600,000 BOAT REFUGEES WAS MENTIONED). CLARANCE, WHO WAS PRESENT AT THE MEETING, TOLD ME THAT THIS LAST REMARK WAS NOT MEANT TO BE TAKEN LITERALLY AND WAS MORE IN THE NATURE OF A JOKE IN BAD TASTE. BUT HE ADDED THAT SINCE THE CANADIAN VISIT THE ATHOSPHERE IN WHICH

HE HAS TO DO BUSINESS HAD DETERIORATED CONSIDERABLY.

3.

IT IS APPARENT THAT THE VIETNAMESE ARE STEPPING UP PRESSURE TO GET COUNTRIES TO TAKE NON-FAMILY

REUNION CASES VIZ THOSE WHOM VIETNAM WISHES TO GET RID OF, AND WHO HAVE NO CLAIM TO BE ADMITTED TO OTHER COUNTRIES. IN THE PROCESS THE 7-POINT PROGRAMME IS MAKING NO PROGRESS. MY OWN VIEW IS THAT,

IF THE PROGRAMME IS TO ACHIEVE A REASONABLE DEGREE OF SUCCESS, COUNTRIES WILL SOONER OR LATER HAVE TO AGREE TO TAKE SOME ''HUMANITARIAN CASES ON THE VICTNAMESE LIST AS A

QUID PRO QUO FOR GETTING THEIR OWN CASES OUT. IF VIETNAMESE PRESSURE 16 RESISTED, THEN I FEAR THAT THE NUMBER DE BOAT REFUGEES WILL INCREASE, PARTLY BECAUSE THE VIETNAMESE WILL WISH TO INCREASE THE PRESSURE BY THAT MEANS, AND PARTLY BECAUSE THE REFUGEES THEMSELVES, SEEING THAT THE FRUER PROGRAMME IS NOT SUCCEEDING, WILL WISH TO LEAVE BY