TNAG-1276-FCO40-1626-Resettlement-of-Vietnamese-refugees-from-Hong-Kong-1983 — Page 51

Attached

CODE 18.77

CONFIDENTIAL

Mr Peate UND

UNHCR'S PAPER ON SOUTH EAST ASIAN REFUGEES

1.

HKK 243/2 (44

Reference

RECEIVED IN REGISTRY

CAC P2y JEP 1983

DESK OFFICER

INDEX

No

141419

REGISTRY

Action Taken

You will have seen the paper which was enclosed with Dame Anne Warburton's letter of August summarising UNHCR's latest ideas on handling the SE Asian refugee problem. A similar paper had been circulated by UNHCR's observers at Ambassador Douglas 'Honolulu Conference on refugees for consideration by US, Canada, Australia and Japan.

2. UK is not a major resettlement country. We are unlikely to take substantially more Vietnamese than have been cleared under the ODP or those rescued by UK shipping (a rather high 220 this year already). We have never taken many Lao or Khmer refugees, whose continuing build-up in Thailand seems in fact to be UNHCR's major concern.

3.

But the increasing number of boat-people in Hong Kong is worrying. Likewise, the suggestion in the UNHCR paper of exploring ''regional self-sufficiency schemes'pending permanent solution'

may generate pressure on Hong Kong to provide some form of settlement for some of them, and we may need to resist it. Lastly, of course, the 1979 Geneva Conference on boat-people was the result of the Prime Minister's initiative with the UN Secretary-General and we shall still be expected to comment on UNHCR recommendations however little we are able to contribute in the way of resettlement places.

4. As far as we know the general view of the four at Honolulu (neither we nor FRG were invited, France declined to attend) was that their current resettlement programmes would continue in the short to medium term, but could not be expected to do so indefinitely unless other alternatives particularly voluntary repatriation but also, though it would be more difficult and more sensitive, some form of local integration in the region were being properly explored. The Australians in particular came out against any large-scale ''sweeping-up'' of the regional caseload until both the exodus had been stemmed and regional states had accepted 'some degree of local integration''. However the Honolulu group seem to have accepted that Hong Kong should be excluded.

1

5. Perhaps we might respond to the UNHCR paper along the following lines: -

VIETNAMESE REFUGEES

a)

Regret we are unlikely to be able to consider a fresh quota of refugees but still have 2,000 cases pending under the ODP and always ready to consider ship rescue cases.

b) Regional self-sufficiency schemes could be a useful interim measure. Must clearly depend on agreement of governments concerned, but as a major contributor to UNHCR would hope to be able to support projects of this kind if implemented. Must point out, however, that Hong Kong who still have a caseload of 13,600 and resettled more than 14,000 prior to 1979 Conference, have not the space themselves to develop self-sufficiency schemes.

/c) By

CONFIDENTIAL