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United Kingdom Mission
37-39 rue de Vermont 1211 Geneva 20
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R J Wildash Esq United Nations Dept FCO
O Murlegten for inf
© pa VCORRI.
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Interesting
Your reference
LKIC 243/r reference UN 243/15 RECEIVED IN REGISTRY
13 DEC 1985
Date
(470)
to 18/12
12 December 1985
INDEX
PA
1 Taken
Dear Richard,
VIETNAMESE REFUGEES: TRAVEL COSTS FOR UK FAMILY REUNION CASES
1.
(399
Please refer to your letter of 19 November which crossed with my letter of 28 November which enclosed UNHCR's Special Appeal for resettlement costs for Indo-Chinese refugees in East and South-East
Asia.
2.
I have had no hint from UNHCR here that their programme for resettling Vietnamese refugees from Hong Kong in the UK is being slowed down through lack of funds for travel costs which is what Dr von Arnim appears to be suggesting in his letter of 8 October. Before the Special Appeal was issued, Klaus Feldmann (Resettlement Section) had mentioned to me informally that UNHCR were in need of such funds and were preparing a Special Appeal, but this was not mentioned in the context of the UK family reunion cases.
3.
As far as I can ascertain, Dr von Arnim's claim that the UK and France are the only resettlement countries who do not pay for the transportation of resettlers is correct, although some of the other resettlement countries qualify their position. For instance, the US Government asks each refugee to sign a promisory note for the cost of his ticket: the cost is collected by voluntary agencies who then receive, from the US Government a proportion of the sum collected. About 50% of the refugees repay their travel costs in this way: the balance remains a debt to the US Government. (The US Government is, I understand, now considering the possibility of asking refugees to sign contracts to repa which would be enforceable in courts of law). The Canadian Government also pays on a recovery basis. The New Zealand Government pays the travel costs from Singapore to New Zealand only. The Government of FRG pays costs for Indo-Chinese refugees only. Sweden, Finland and the Netherlands were the only three who did not qualify their position and told me that their Governments paid full transportation costs (usually to ICM) and did not recover from the refugee.
4.
My French colleague told me that her Government expects UNHCR to pay for all costs (through ICM) and never pays for specific refugees' movements.
*Australia also
Yous sincerely,
Delia
D J Walker (Miss)
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