TNAG-1527-FCO40-2091-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-refugees-general-1986 — Page 27

UNITED NATIONS

HIGH COMMISSIONER

FOR REFUGEES

Branch Office for the Philippines

MNL/3257.

Street Address:

Suite 201, 2nd Floor

JEG Building

150 Legaspi St., Legaspi Village

Makati, Metro Manila

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 81851 21/22

22 April 1986

!

TALKING POINTS FOR DISCUSSIONS BETWEEN FIRST DEPUTY MINISTER JOSE INGLES AND UNHCR REPRESENTATIVE

GREGG A. BEYER ON 22 APRIL 1986

Re: Ex-China Cases in the Philippines

1. In 1978-1980, some 279,000 Vietnamese refugees entered the People's Republic of China where the Government, with financial assistance from UNHCR, has allowed them to remain permanently and settle on

on local state farms. Most of these refugees are happy, but some are not (up to 25-50,000 could be unhappy). In 1985, at least 1,600 such already settled Vietnamese illegally departed China, en route to the Philippines. Such persons usually go via Hong Kong and Taiwan where they are given food, water, petrol, maps, compasses, etc. Their purpose is to pass themselves off as genuine first-asylum refugees arriving in the Philippines directly from Vietnam and therefore obtain resettlement to the USA, Canada, Australia or France.

2.

Of the 1,600 suspected ex-China cases passing by Hong Kong in 1985, at least 93 landed in the Philippines: Gp 50/42 Laoag, Gp 20 Aparri, Gp 24 Laoag, and (probably) Gp 7 Bangui. Of this number, 24 have signed requests for Philippine Government assistance in arranging their return to China. The rest have not yet made such requests. Despite UNHCR's often-stated request for the transfer of these non-refugees out of UNHCR-financed refugee facilities, they still remain, and are causing considerable problems (MNL/6278 dated 16 April 1986, will be handed to First Deputy Minister Ingles on 22 April 1986).

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UNHCR will hereby reiterate its request that these ex-China cases be taken out of the PRTC, Manila and PFAC, Palawan while the Government bilaterally arranges their return to China with the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in Manila or their permanent resettlement in the Philippines.

4.

On 10 March 1986, a group of 55 Vietnamese, suspected of being ex-China cases, voluntarily departed Hong Kong en route to Taiwan and the Philippines. A list of these persons, giving names, places and dates of birth, ethnic background and languages spoken was compiled by Hong Kong immigration authorities and sent to UNHCR in Manila. The group of 55 is comprised of a sub-group of 49 and a sub-group of 6, having been combined by Hong Kong immigration authorities while still in Hong Kong.

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