TNAG-1277-FCO40-1627-Resettlement-of-Vietnamese-refugees-from-Hong-Kong-1983 — Page 4

c) For non-flag States which nevertheless accept "boat people" for resettlement, the scheme would provide an opportunity to participate in a programme based on a spirit of international burden-sharing and to receive a fixed number of refugees for whom advance planning in terms of financing, reception and integration would be possible.

d) For the refugees, who would be the ultimate beneficiaries, the scheme would help to ensure that shipmasters who encountered them in distress at sea would not be deterred from their duty to rescue. The automatic quarantee system would facilitate quick disembarkation. Also, refugees might have a better chance of going to a resettlement country where their individual background woula favour speedy integration, provided that such a country was a participant in the scheme.

12.

A basic prerequisite for the successful operation of such a scheme is the participation of the greatest number of States willing to pool their resources in a spirit of international burden-sharing.

13.

In June 1983, the Director of International Protection addressed a communication to those Governments which participated in the discussions on the proposed RASKO scheme and invited comments on the following questions:

14.

A) Would your Government agree with the basic approach of the proposal?

b)

Would your Government agree to contribute places to the proposed "Rescue at Sea Resettlement Offers" (RASRO) scheme?

c) How many places would your Government be prepared to make available and what criteria would be applied in arriving at such a quota?

d) If the total number of resettlement places made available by Governments represents a workable contribution, would your Government agree to implementing the scheme for a trial period?

:

At the time of the drafting of the present note, six Governments had commented on the RASRÒ proposal. Only one country was not in agreement with the objective of such a scheme, but at the same time offered a contribution to the scheme if it were established and declared its willingness to participate

for a

trial period for "humanitarian reasons". Five countries were generally in agreement with the scheme and were also willing to agree to a trial period; however, not all these countries offered a quota.

15. Three hundred places are presently available as an initial contribution. however, auring the first seven months of 1983 vessels flying the flags those of countries which agreed to a trial period rescued a total of 491 persons on the high seas. It should be noted that ships flying flags of the same countries rescue? 780 persons during the same period in 1982 and a total of 1076 during the whole of 1982.

16.

The High Commissioner hopes that in view of the urgency of the problem it will be possible for Governments to announce additional quotas so that the proposed RASRO scheme can be started on a trial basis.