TNAG-1276-FCO40-1626-Resettlement-of-Vietnamese-refugees-from-Hong-Kong-1983 — Page 220

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RECEIVED IN REGISTRY

16 AUG 1983

DESK OFFICER

INDEX

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Action Taken

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GRS 390

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CONFIDENTIAL

FM UKMIS GENEVA 21070OZ JUL 83

TO PRIORITY FCO

TELNO 308 OF 21 JULY

AND TO INFO ROUTINE: HONG KONG, HANOI, PARIS, CANBERRA, Ames with

OTTAWA, WASHINGTON.

YOUR TELNO 174: VIETNAMESE REFUGEES.

1. I WAS ABLE TO SEE THE UN HIGH COMMISSIONER THIS MORNING JUST BEFORE HE STARTS HIS SUMMER HOLIDAY.

2. 1 EXPLAINED THAT OUR ENQUIRIES AMONG THE MAIN RE-SETTLEMENT COUNTRIES HAD LED US TO CONCLUDE THAT THERE WAS NO MILEAGE

р.а.

IN THE IDEA OF A MULTILATERAL APPROACH AT THIS STAGE. MR HARTLING 'SAID THEIR OWN ENQUIRES HAD SHOWN THE SAME RESULT.

3. I THEN PUT THE QUESTION WHETHER HE WOULD SEE MERIT IN TRYING TO OBTAIN WATERTIGHT ASSURANCES THAT RETURNING REFUGEES WOULD BE WELL-TREATED AND, IF SO, WHETHER HE WOULD BE PREPARED TO APPROACH THE VIETNAMESE AUTHORITIES. MR HARTLING REPLIED THAT HE HAD TWO YEARS AGO ASKED THE VIETNAMESE WHETHER THEY WOULD TAKE REFUGEES BACK. THEIR REPLY TO THIS WAS A CATEGORIC REFUSAL TO ACCEPT TRAITORS WHO HAD REFUSED TO HELP TO BUILD THE COUNTRY'. MR HARTLING THOUGHT, HOWEVER, THAT HE COULD NOW DETECT SOME POSSIBLE SOFTENING IN THIS POSITION. WHILE EMPHASIZING THAT THINGS MOVE EXCEEDINGLY SLOWLY IN ASIA, HE SPOKE OF SIGNS THAT THE VIETNAMESE MIGHT NOW WISH TO IMPROVE THEIR WORLD-WIDE IMAGE. MOREOVER, THEY WERE INCREASINGLY UNDERSTANDING THE REAL LOSS THE BRAIN-DRAIN MEANS FOR THEM.

MR HARTLING DID NOT EXPECT ANY SUDDEN PUBLIC CHANGE IN THEIR ATTITUDE. BUT HE WAS ENCOURAGED THAT, IN A CASE WHICH HE DID NOT WANT TO REACH THE PRESS, THE UNHCR HAD BEEN ABLE TO ASSIST IN THE REPATRIATION OF A VIETNAMESE GIRL WHO IS NOW BACK WITH HER FAMILY IN HANOI. HE THOUGHT THAT WITHIN SIX MONTHS OR SO, A CHANGE MIGHT BECOME PERCEPTIBLE.

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4. IN THESE CIRCUMSTANCES, THE HIGH COMMISSIOER THOUGHT

THAT IT WOULD BE COUNTER-PRODUCTIVE TO SEEK ANY FORMAL ASSURANCE ON REPATRIATION FROM THE VIETNAMESE AT THIS JUNCTURE. HE SPOKE AGAIN OF THE GREAT PATIENCE REQUIRED IN DEALING WITH THEM.

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