TNAG-1424-FCO40-1907-Vietnamese-refugees-in-Hong-Kong-general-1985 — Page 178

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Geneva on 23 January of the "Geneva Contact Group" attended by

representatives of the United States, Australia, Canada and Japan.

We were not invited. Hong Kong was discussed, and the Americans

appeared to be taking the line that there should be no further offers

for resettlement from Hong Kong as this could encourage a further

exodus from Vietnam. The Americans proposed a further Honolulu

meeting to be held in Geneva during the October 1985 EXCOM meeting.

If this subject is raised, it would be useful to hear UNHCR views

on the direction these meetings should take. Difficult for UK to

take the initiative in calling a conference since we are not in a

position ourselves to offer any additional resettlement places for refugees from Hong Kong.

Local or Regional Integration

6 It would be useful to know what ideas UNHCR may currently have on

this subject. The Thais have already indicated that they will not

absorb any more but has UNHCR sounded out the Filipinos or

Indonesians? Last July UK pledged £5 million under ICARA II for

programmes in Africa to benefit refugees and host country communities.

Repatriation

7 See Hong Kong brief.

Ship Rescue

8 See paras 7 and 8 of FCO memorandum for SCORRI. At UNCHR's

27 February meeting on the Thai Anti-Piracy Programme, Mr Moussalli,

the UNCHR's Director of Protection, announced that, due to a recent

major contribution from the US, UNCHR now hoped that the scheme would

begin on 1 May, although they were still discussing some of the

technical aspects with the IMO.

Orderly Departure Programme (ODP)

9 See para 10 of FCO memorandum to SCORRI. According to UNHCR

figures, during 1984 ODP departures totalled 29,000 while boat

people arrivals in the region totalled some 25,000. At the meeting

with the Vietnamese on ODP matters, in Geneva on 3 October,

Dame Anne Warburton said that it was inconsistent that the programme

did not allow the departure of those whose relatives had left

Vietnam by boat, also, that the programme should be extended to

include those who are currently, or who have been in re-education

camps.

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/Thai