TNAG-1274-FCO40-1624-Vietnamese-refugees-in-Hong-Kong-1983 — Page 287

CONFIDENTIAL

84)<

FA 243/3

Mr Clift (Hong Kong Dept)

VIETNAMESE REFUGEES IN HONG KONG

Auss Walker pl.

-My yoon 74.416

Para 3. seems sensible.

wa. you pee. consider &

review

accordingly.

draft Submission

#14/6

1. In your minute of 9 June, you invited comments on a draft sub- mission covering a telegram to Geneva.

2. I attach a copy of a minute by Mr Segar. I agree that involuntary repatriation would be unacceptable to the UNHCR. I doubt, however, whether the first step with the UNHCR should be to invite them to ask the Vietnamese Government if they would provide formal guarantees for the safety of returning refugees. The UNHCR might regard it as naive to think that the Vietnamese would give meaningful guarantees; and, if they nevertheless agreed to go ahead, might let it be known that they were acting at our instigation. That could be embarrassing, given the criticisms we have made publicly of the Vietnamese human rights record.

3.

Could we not start by putting it to them that the only circumstan- ces in which the boat people could be returned to Vietnam would be if the Vietnamese Government gave watertight assurances that the returnees would be well-treated. As the UNHCR may agree, even if guarantees were forthcoming from the central government, the guarantees would probably be worth little at the local level. Moreover, as deviants who had refused to stay within the system, the returnees would take bottom place in the labour market and might well face extreme depriva- tion. In these circumstances would the UNHCR be prepared to make a formal statement that they consider all boat people leaving Vietnam to be refugees because they would face unacceptable conditions if they were to return, and that they do not recognise the validity of distinc- tions drawn between refugees and so-called economic migrants? Would they also be prepared to request resettlement countries, in particular the US, to stop making this distinction? If they refuse, on the grounds that assurances of good treatment (or other inducements) might be obtainable from Hanoi, we could then invite the Commission to try to obtain them.

4. I share Mr Segar's views on the undesirability of trying to use the Australians. This would go down badly in ASEAN and encourage

Hanoi.

lounges Watson

R Burges Watson

South East Asian Department

14 June 1983

cc. Mr Williams (UND)

Mr Chick (SPD)

HKK 243/1

RECEIVED IN REGISTRY

16 JUN 1983

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