TNAG-1184-FCO40-1486-Resettlement-of-Vietnamese-refugees-from-Hong-Kong-into-the--1982 — Page 109

RESTRICTED

Dec with ones

United Kingdom Mission 37-39 rue de Vermont 1211 Geneva 20

Telex 22956

Telegrams Prodrome Geneva

Telephone 34 38 00 33 23 85

CM J Segar Esq

SEAD

FCO

IND

Dear Churistapher

VIETNAM:

FA 243/5

PARAT

вн

Mh Hoare HKGDdole

AF

258

S. Spence Esq. H.O. (Kumar ) 110. Mr P.A. Lee H.O. (QAG).

ii) Enter, 56.u. to Mr Nowtan fic,

and

Your reference

Our reference

Date 11 October 1982

then back to me pro Anpaga 18/0.

$9. I am sure we must have another lock at

voluntary repatriation. Amp.

ORDERLY DEPARTURE PROGRAMME

1. The Vietnamese team led by Ha van Lau, Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs, was in Geneva from 6 to 10 October. UNHCR arranged a meeting with nineteen resettlement countries, several of which, including ourselves, took the opportunity to meet the team privately.

The Visitors

-

2. The Minister's team included Le Tho, Director of the Department of Affairs for Overseas Vietnamese and Nguyen Dan, Head of Departure Section at Ho Chi Minh City, Trinh van Anh, First Secretary here, and an interpreter.

Public Meeting 9am, 8 October

30

UNHCR produced tables (copies enclosed) of the numbers of departures of Vietnamese and Cambodians from Vietnam and their destinations. Ha van Lau made a long opening statement (copy enclosed). After talking about the history of the ODP he said that there had recently been increased departures. This year the figure had reached 1,000 a month. Though encouraging this was still less than satisfactory, as many thousands were still waiting to go. The main reason was the inflexible arrangements imposed by the resettlement countries. They demanded the completion of complicated procedures yet did not provide sufficient people to implement them. Vietnam's difficulties were the cost of maintaining people awaiting departure and of undertaking their own formalities. They had hundreds of officials working on the programme, many in difficult conditions. The Minister then turned to the 22,000 Cambodians now in Vietnam awaiting departure. They were "determined to leave". The Minister said that he hoped resettlement countries would simplify their entry procedures and Vietnam would attempt to improve its services.

4.

All the countries receiving significant numbers under the ODP spoke but few said anything of note. Most thanked the Vietnamese and UNHCR and thought the programme was going well. Australia announced that they had joined the scheme in September

:

RESTRICTED

/ this year