TNAG-1184-FCO40-1486-Resettlement-of-Vietnamese-refugees-from-Hong-Kong-into-the--1982 — Page 134

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TELNO 486 OF 29 SEPTEMBER 1982

INFO IMMEDIATE BANGKOK

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YOUR TELNO 345 AND BANGKOK TELNO 02: VIETNAMESE LAND REFUGEES

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1. ICRC AND UNHCR HELD A MEETING ON 28 SEPTEMBER TO FOLLOW

UP THEIR APPEAL FOR OFFERS OF PLACES FOR SOME 2,500 VIETNAMESE LAND REFUGEES NOW IN NW82, OTHER CAMPS AT THE BORDER AND PANAT NIKHOM. THE SAME MISSIONS AS BEFORE WERE INVITED.

2. ALL DELEGATIONS PRESENT SAID THEY WOULD ACCEPT

THOSE CASES WITH A CLAIM UNDER THEIR FAMILY REUNIFICATION CRITERIA. NEW ZEALAND AND UK SAID THAT THEY WERE PREPARED TO BROADEN THEIR CRITERIA ON THIS OCCASION. MOST SAID THAT THEY COULD NOT PROVIDE NEW UNATTACHED'' PLACES. SEVERAL MADE THE POINT THAT THEY CONTINUED TO TAKE PEOPLE UNDER THE ODP AND THOSE RESCUED

AT SEA BY THEIR OWN SHIPS. WE EXPLAINED OUR SPECIAL CONCERN FOR THE PROBLEMS OF HONG KONG.

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3. A FEW COUNTRIES HOWEVER, DID ANNOUNCE NEW PLACES FOR THOSE OUTSIDE THE FAMILY REUNIFICATION CRITERIA. SWITZERLAND AND SWEDEN SAID THAT THEY WOULD EACH TAKE 50. FINLAND HAVE AGREED TO TAKE 25 DISABLED SOUTH-EAST ASIAN REFUGEES PLUS THEIR FAMILIES. THIS MIGHT MEAN UP TO 100 PLACES IN FINLAND. NEW ZEALAND OFFERED TO TAKE 20 TO 25 NEW CASES. AUSTRALIA MENTIONED A TENTATIVE FIGURE OF 300 SUBJECT TO PARLIAMENTARY APPROVAL AND PROVIDED OTHER COUNTRIES DID THEIR BIT. CANADA SAID THAT OTTAWA WAS BUSY WITH ITS ANNUAL PLANNING EXERCISE AND COULD NOT GIVE NEWS YET. BUT THEY EXPECTED TO BE ABLE TO MAKE A

POSITIVE RESPONSE. THE US ANNOUNCED A TOTAL OF 1,200 PLACES. THEY THOUGHT THAT THIS MIGHT INCLUDE ABOUT 450 NEW PLACES.

4. UNHCR SAID THAT THEY AND ICRC HAD DONE SOME PRELIMINARY SCREENING WORK BUT STILL HAD NO (NO) FIGURES OF FAMILY REUNIFICATION CASES COUNTRY BY COUNTRY. MOUSSALLI, DIRECTOR

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OF PROTECTION UNHCR, SUGGESTED A TECHNICAL MEETING IN BANGKOK TO ASESS THE NUMBER OF CASES WITH A CLAIM TO FAMILY REUNIFICATION. THIS WOULD MAKE CLEAR HOW MANY NEW PLACES WERE NEEDED. THE MEETING

IN BANGKOK SHOULD REPORT BACK TO A FURTHER GENEVA MEETING

ON 6 OCTOBER. THE UNHCR EXCOM SESSION FOLLOWS IMMEDIATELY THEREAFTER.

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