UNITED NATIONS
HIGH COMMISSIONER
FOR REFUGEES
Branch Office for the Philippines
Ref.:
Street Address:
MNL/6309
Suite 201, 2nd Floor
JEG Building
150 Legaspi St., Legaspi Village
Makati, Metro Manila
Dear Deputy Minister Ingles:
1
Re: New Ex-China Cases:
NATIONS UNIES
HAUT COMMISSARIAT POUR LES RÉFUGIÉS
Délégation pour les Philippines
Postal Address:
P.O. Box 878 (MCPO) MAKATI, METRO MANILA PHILIPPINES
Cable Address: HICOMREF Manila Telex: PH 23248, 66908
Tel. Nos. 818 18 23 818 51 21/22
21 April 1986
Gp 55, Aparri
The problem of ex-China cases in the Philippines (now numbering at least 93) has been the subject of considerable correspondence since July 1985, ending with our letters MNL/5217 dated 3 February 1986 and MNL/6278 dated 16 April 1986.
On 20 March 1986, a group of 55 Vietnamese voluntarily departed Hong Kong, bound for Taiwan and the Philippines. Information received from UNHCR in Hong Kong indicated that these persons were most likely not first-asylum refugees arriving directly from Vietnam but rather, were persons previously and permanently resettled in the People's Republic of China.
On 10 April 1986, a group of 55 Vietnamese, purporting to be first-asylum refugees, landed in Calayan Island. This group was comprised of two sub-groups of 49 and 6 persons respectively, which were combined by Hong Kong authorities onto one boat while still in Hong Kong. A detailed list of these 55 persons giving names, ages, sex, place of birth, occupation, ethnic background and languages spoken was prepared by Hong Kong Immigration authorities and sent to UNHCR Manila via UNHCR Hong Kong. A copy of this list, AD/218 dated 20 March 1986, is attached for easy reference as Annex A.
A copy of the
list of the 55 as compiled by Coast Guard in Aparri is also attached for easy reference as Annex B. The numbering of the names of the persons listed in Annex B is cross-referenced on the master list of Annex A.
On 15 April 1986, the Coast Guard under Lt. Dacanay from Aparri transferred these 55 persons to Aparri. Suspecting this group to be the same group of 55 suspected ex-China cases who had passed by Hong Kong and who, if confirmed, would therefore not be genuine first-asylum refugees, I went to Aparri and on 18-19 April 1986 personally conducted a series of interviews with many of the newcomers.
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Honourable Jose D. Ingles First Deputy Minister
Ministry of Foreign Affairs Pedre Faure St
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