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"
stuck with a growing number of economic migrants with
resettlement;
with no prospect of
Il (b) a
"
Fi
?
tougher regime than that now applied in the closed centres
might be needed to control those facing the prospect of ultimate
repatriation or very long confinement;
(c) resettlement countries might take advantage of a reduction in
the "refugee' population to scale down further their level of
offtake from Hong Kong;
(d) unless the refugees were
due trial and
conviction in
imprisoned as illegal immigrants after
the Courts of Hong Kong, this scheme
would still be in breach of Article 9 of the International Covenant
on Civil and Political Rights.
23.
But
UNHCR 's support would be needed. They have not been consulted
officially. Hong Kong believe that UNHCR would welcome such a step
towards application of a more correct definition of refugee status,
over which they would have control; UNHCR would also be able to
evade responsibility for those not identified as refugees.
although one senior UNHCR official has himself proposed such a
scheme informally, UKMIS Geneva are clear that Mr Hartling and other senior officials would be opposed to it, and that this is likely to
be UNHCR policy. Indeed, in 1984 when Hong Kong detained as illegal
immigrants 13 Iranians who had arrived with forged passports, UNHCR
requested that they should be granted refugee status in Hong Kong
because they could not be returned either to Pakistan or Iran.
24.
of
At their discussion on 15 January (see para 19 above) the
Executive Council advised that in the absence of a programme
involuntary repatriation, the screening proposals should not be
implemented. However they recommended that the proposals should be
kept under review. During his call on Mr Luce on 27 February,
Ambassador Douglas, US Coordinator for Refugee Affairs, mentioned
similar scheme whereby from a certain date all Vietnamese refugee
resettlement processing in the region would cease and new arrivals
would thereafter be held on a remote Pacific island pending eventual
return to Vietnam. Subsequent soundings of the US State Department
a
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