TNAG-1276-FCO40-1626-Resettlement-of-Vietnamese-refugees-from-Hong-Kong-1983 — Page 137

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IN THIS ENDEAVOUR, I AM PARTICULARLY APPRECIATIVE OF THE COOPERATIVE ROLE PLAYED BY THE CANADIAN GOVERNMENT AND THE CANADIAN MINISTER, MR LLOYD AXWORTHY.

I HAVE SAID THAT THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT POLICY IS TO DIVERSIFY GENERAL REFUGEE INTAKE. A FURTHER QUESTION IS WHETHER TO CONTINUE TO SPREAD .OUR INTAKE OF INDO-CHINESE REFUGEES ACROSS THE COUNTRIES OF FIRST REFUGE. IN 82/83 OF SOME 12,400 INDO-CHINESE REFUGEES APPROXIMATELY 5,300 WERE VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE FROM MALAYSIA AND INDONESIA. WE WOULD ENVISAGE APPROX THE SAME PERCENTAGE OF THE OVERALL TOTAL IN 83/84 FROM THIS SOURCE.

WE ASSESS THAT THE KAMPUCHEAN REFUGEE PROBLEM IN THAILAND IS PROBABLY THE MORE READILY CONTAINED AND WITHOUT UNDERESTIMATING THE DIFFICULTIES INVOLVED, THOSE PERSONS ARE PROBABLY MORE EASILY REPATRIATED, (IF POLITICAL SETTLEMENTS ARE ACHIEVED IN KAMPUCHEA,) THAN ARE THE VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE IN MALAYSIA AND INDONESIA. GIVEN THESE ASSUMPTIONS WE ARE INCLINED TO CONTINUE OUR CURRENT MIX OF INDO-CHINESE REFUGEES WHILST ALWAYS RETAINING SOME FLEXIBILITY. IN SHORT WE ARE NOT REALLY ATTRACTED TO THE CONCEPT OF NARROWING THE BASE OF INTAKE OF INDO-CHINESE REFUGEES FOR RESETTLEMENT IN AUSTRALIA. NOR DO WE BELIEVE THAT OTHER RESETTLEMENT COUNTRIES SHOULD CONFINE THEIR PROGRAMS TO SPECIFIC AREAS OR TYPES OF REFUGEE--AFTER ALL, THESE PROGRAMS ARE BASED ON HUMANITARIAN PRINCIPLES WHICH SHOULD NOT BE CONFINED BY GEOGRAPHIC OR POLITICAL CONSIDERATIONS.

OUR REFUGEE AND HUMANITARIAN PROGRAM IS IMPLEMENTED IN TWO WAYS.

FIRSTLY, BY OUR FUNDED PASSAGE RESETTLEMENT PROGRAM, WHICH ASSISTS PEOPLE WHO ARE REFUGEES BY U.N.1.C.R. DEFINITION AS ASSESSED ON A CASE-BY-CASE BASIS.

SECONDLY, OUR OWN SPECIAL HUMANITARIAN PROGRAM WHICH ENABLES AUSTRALIA TO OFFER RESETTLEMENT TO PERSONS WHO ARE NOT REFUGEES WITHIN THE U.N. DEFINITION, BUT WHO CAN STILL CLAIM HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE BECAUSE OF SEVERE DISCRIMINATION OR GROSS VIOLATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS IN THEIR COUNTRY OF ORIGIN. OUR OVERALL CEILING FOR THESE TWO PROGRAMS WILL BE APPROXIMATELY 20,000 IN 1983/84. THE SPECIAL HUMANITARIAN COMPONENT WILL RE APPROXIMATELY 3,000.

I SHOULD SAY THAT IN ADDITION TO A FLEXIBLE INTAKE OF 10,000 INDO-CHINESE ACCEPTED AS REFUGEES IN 1983/84, WE WILL ACCEPT AN ADDITIONAL 2,000 PEOPLE DIRECT FROM VIETNAM WHO HAVE BEEN SPONSORED UNDER THE ORDERLY DEPARTURE PROGRAM. AUSTRALIA TAKES THESE PEOPLE AS FAMILY REUNION MIGRANTS, SPONSORED BY FORMER RET UGLES WHO HAVE GAINED PERMANENT RESIDENT STATUS IN AUSTRALIA.

IN JULY 1982, THE THEN AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT INTRODUCED HEASURES TO ASSESS REFUGEE CLAIMS INDIVIDUALLY AND THIS POLICY IS CONTINUING. WE BELIEVE IT TO BE AN IMPORTANT ELEMENT IN DETERKING NON-REFUGEF OM FLOWS FROM COUNTRIES OF ORIGIN AND IN CONVINCING AUSTRALIANS THAT THE REFUGEE PROGRAM IS NOT BEING ABUSED. WE CAN STILL MAKE GROUP DETERMINATIONS IN AN EMERGENCY, OR WHERE INDIVIDUAL DETERMINATION PUTS PEOPLE AT RISK.

I BELIEVE OUR RESERVATIONS ABOUT GROUP ASSESSMENT OF REFUGEES TO DETERMINE ELIGIBILITY FOR RESETTLEMENT SHOULD BE NOTED AND THAT THE CURRENT POLICY OF CASE-BY-CASE ASSESSMENTS BE CONTINUED.

I KNOW THAT 'ALL RESETTLEMENT NATIONS HAVE THEIR OWN DOMESTIC PROBLEMS REGARDING REFUGEE SEIILEMENT IN THESE DIFFICULT ECONOMIC

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