TNAG-1417-FCO40-1900-Hong-Kong-Parliamentary-Sub-Committee-on-Race-Relations-and--1985 — Page 63

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rights record there is understandable reluctance on the part of

those who have fled to put themselves at that Government's mercy,

particularly when their departure by boat is considered "illegal".

I would emphasise that we could only support a repatriation

programme to Vietnam if there were adequate assurances from the

Vietnamese Government concerning the treatment of those returning.

So far no such assurances have been forthcoming. For the moment, we

consider it appropriate that UNHCR should continue to take the

initiative with the Vietnamese on this question. Unfortunately to

date there have been no indications that the Vietnamese authorities

are prepared to cooperate in accepting a programme of repatriation

or to give the necessary assurances.

Local Integration

We have made it clear that we consider local integration within

South East Asia to be preferable to resettlement in Western

industrialised countries and we are continuing to press that this

should be one of the solutions to the problem of the unresettled

residue in Hong Kong and elsewhere. The problem is that the first

asylum countries such as Thailand feel justifiably that they have

already borne their share of the burden. You will be aware that

Thailand has just received a further wave of Cambodian refugees as a result of Vietnamese attacks. In August the Thai authorities ruled

out further local integration in Thailand even for those in Thai camps, concluding that there was no other option for refugees in Thailand than resettlement in third countries or repatriation to their country of origin. I discussed these questions with them myself on 23 October. We agreed that it was necessary to give further encouragement to UNHCR to pursue their attempts to find

durable solutions.

Contacts with Vietnam Itself

We have regular contact with the Government of Vietnam over the Orderly Departure Programme which we played a major role in setting

up in 1979. As I have explained, the Vietnamese do not appear to be ready to contemplate repatriation. We think it is better

therefore to concentrate on improving the Orderly Departure Programme. At a meeting held in Geneva on 3 October last year with

Vietnamese Government representatives, the UK representative,

/Dame