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upon.
6.
The foregoing is not seen as the only solution to the Indo-Chinese refugee problem: other, as yet unspecified, solutions could be considered at future meetings of the Honolulu group, but they would all feature round the central point of returning and not resettling people who leave Vietnam.
7. The Australians appreciate the difficult US position in that the US do not recognize Vietnam. (My contacts at UNHCR have also mentioned this in the context of Vietnam only being prepared to make offers in return for US recognition or US aid). The Australians wish to investigate the possibility of a multilateral approach. However, the Australians are firmly against the Ray Panel report suggestion of resettling all existing long-stayers and then imposing new criteria for future persons leaving Vietnam: they maintain this would only encourage further illegal departures.
8.
In paragraph 4 of your minute you sought our views on possible informal consultations on the general problem of refugees, displaced persons and economic migrants in South-East Asia in the longer-term. We have already referred to this in our telnos 381 and 387 and I think it will be clear from the foregoing that an expanded Honolulu group would be interested in taking this on. UNHCR might agree to be associated with such consultations. But one of the major problems, as Hong Kong have highlighted in their telno 2200, is what to do with the "non-refugees" pending the outcome of negotiations with Vietnam, given that they would be difficult to resettle and the first-asylum countries would be reluctant to act as hosts, even if such persons were held in UNHCR-controlled and financed detention centres.
Yours sincerely, Delia.
cc: S T Nash Esq, SEAD, FCO
C Leeks Esq, HKD, FCO
DJ Walker (Miss)
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