TNAG-1180-FCO40-1482-Resettlement-of-Vietnamese-refugees-from-Hong-Kong-into-the--1982 — Page 105

copied to Peking

and FED.

Of

OF B/H

CONFIDENTIAL

989 1

-

RR HONG KONG

GRS 467

CONFIDENTIAL

FM FCO 081130Z APRIL 82

TO ROUTINE HONG KONG

TELEGRAM NUMBER 235 OF 8 APRIL 1982

INFO UKMIS GENEVA, WASHINGTON

YOUR TELNO 292: VIETNAMESE REFUGEES

..

No

Hkk243

1. RECORDS OF YOUDE'S CONVERSATIONS WITH HARTLING IN GENEVA

AND HOLDRIDGE IN WASHINGTON ARE BEING SENT TO YOU SEPARATELY.

(243/1

сче

415

En

At 4/5

See 64

2. IN SUMMARY, HARTLING TOOK THE VIEW THAT WE SHOULD NOT DESPAIR

OF PLACING THE REMAINING REFUGEES: THE NUMBERS INVOLVED SHOULD

BE NEGLIGIBLE. MEMBERS OF HIS STAFF HOWEVER ACCEPTED THAT THE

TIGHTER DEFINITIONS OF ACCEPTABLE CATEGORIES WOULD MAKE RESETTLE-

MENT MORE DIFFICULT AND THUS SEEMED LESS OPTIMISTIC ABOUT THE

SOLUTION OF THE PROBLEM OF THE 'HARD-CORE' OF THE REFUGEES AND

THE NEW ELEMENT OF YOUNG VIETNAMESE. A CONFERENCE OF UNHCR

REPRESENTATIVES IS AT PRESENT BEING HELD IN BANGKOK TO DISCUSS

RESETTLEMENT AND THERE WILL BE A RESETTLEMENT CONFERENCE IN

GENEVA AT THE END OF APRIL OR IN EARLY MAY OF REPRESENTATIVES OF

THE COUNTRIES INVOLVED. THE UNHCR WILL KEEP UP THE PRESSURE ON

RESETTLEMENT COUNTRIES.

3.

HARTLING MADE CLEAR HIS DISLIKE OF THE CONCEPT OF 'HUMANE

DETERENCE': EITHER POLICIES WERE HUMANE (AND SO DID NOT DETER)

OR DETERENT (AND INHUMANE). ASKED WHETHER UNHCR FUNDS COULD

SUPPORT REFUGEES NOT ALLOWED TO WORK THE HIGH COMMISSIONER SAID

THEY HAD MANAGED THIS FOR A TIME IN OTHER PROGRAMMES BUT THEY

DID NOT LIKE THE CONCEPT OF LONG TERM CAMPS. ALTHOUGH THE IDEA

OF A CAMP IN CHINA AS A DETERENT TO VIETNAMESE WAS MENTIONED IT

WAS NOT PUT FORWARD AS A SERIOUS PROPOSITION.

14.

1

CONFIDENTIAL

62

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