TNAG-1276-FCO40-1626-Resettlement-of-Vietnamese-refugees-from-Hong-Kong-1983 — Page 80

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1 SEP 1983

DESK.

INDEX

CER

PA

REGISTRY

Action Taken.

PA Resettlement -I/ Peate UN.D

ije

ME PIKE, HANOI

1) ec- Miss Walker HKD -Mr Montgomery

Pett

Open

241/1 DATED 9 SEPTEMBER 1983

C M J SEGAR, (SEAD, FCO

C W LONG, UKMIS GENEVA

P W M VEREKER,

Bolt 133 Home Over (Lemar

Hse

D-Mr. Nichebson V.S.U.

Home Office (Q.A.G.

BANGKOK i) Entw

R J T MCLAREN, HONG KONG

VIETNAMESE ORDERLY DEPARTURE PROGRAMME

iii) //r Newton

Mr Hantland Swann of Encawaging,

1. SIMINGTON, UNHCR REGIONAL COORDINATOR FOR SOUTH EAST ASIA, BRIEFED WESTERN MISSIONS HERE LAST NIGHT ON THE PROGRESS OF

THE ORDERLY DEPARTURE PROGRAMME. (HE HAD BEEN SEEING VIETNAMESE

MINISTERS DURING A BRIEF VISIT.)

2.

SIMINGTON SAID THAT FROM THE UNHCR POINT OF VIEW, THE RATE

OF DEPARTURES FOR THIRD COUNTRIES UNDER THIS YEAR'S ODP

PROGRAMME HAD EXCEEDED EXPECTATIONS. 13,000 PEOPLE WOULD HAVE

LEFT THE COUNTRY BY THE END OF THIS MONTH AND HE ANTICIPATED THAT

UP TO 16,500 WOULD LEAVE BY THE END OF THE YEAR. THE VIETNAMESE

HAD THEREFORE KEPT THE PROMISE MADE BY DEPUTY VICE MINISTER HA VAN

LAU IN GENEVA LAST OCTOBER, WHEN THE LATTER HAD AGREED WITH UNHCR

THAT BOTH SIDES SHOULD WORK TOWARDS A TARGET OF 1,000, AND, IF POSSIBLE 1,500, DEPARTURES A MONTH DURING 1983.

3. SIMINGTON ALSO HAD THE IMPRESSION THAT THE WORKING GROUP

ADMINISTERING DEPARTURES IN HO CHI MINH CITY WAS OPERATING MORE

EFFECTIVELY THAN PREVIOUSLY. PROBLEMS WERE BEING DEALT WITH IN A

''REASONABLE WAY'' AND ONLY SWEDEN AND SWITZERLAND OF THE WESTERN

EUROPEAN COUNTRIES INVOLVED WERE MEETING DIFFICULTIES.

4. SIMINGTON WOULD BE MEETING HA VAN LAU BEFORE HIS OWN

DEPARTURE THIS MORNING IN ORDER TO DISCUSS THE AGENDA FOR A VISIT

TO GENEVA BY LAU BETWEEN 3 - 7 OCTOBER. AS IN OCTOBER LAST YEAR,

UNHCR WOULD INVITE LAU TO ADDRESS A MEETING OF DELEGATES FROM THE

''ODP COUNTRIES' AND TO ANSWER QUESTIONS FROM THEM. DELEGATIONS

WOULD ALSO BE INVITED TO MEET LAU BILATERALLY IF THEY SO WISHED.

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