TNAG-1530-FCO40-2094-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-refugees-general-1986 — Page 75

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VIETNAMESE GOVERNMENT NOT TO DEAL HARSHLY WITH THOSE WHO WERE

RETURNED. HE REPLIED THAT HE WOULD HAVE TO CONDEMN SUCH AN

APPROACH AS CONTRARY TO THE VALUES UNHCR SOUGHT TO UPHOLD. PRESSED HIM ON THIS, POINTING OUT THAT ALL COUNTRIES RETURNED ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS WHENCE THEY CAME UNLESS THEY HAD LEGITIMATE

CLAIMS TO REFUGEE STATUS. (I MENTIONED CHINESE IIS TO HONG

KONG.) HONG KONG WAS IN AN IMPOSSIBLE SITUATION, BEING OBLIGED TO

TREAT ALL ARRIVALS FROM VIETNAM AS REFUGEES, BUT BEING FACED WITH

INCREASED DISCRIMINATION ON THE PART OF RESETTLEMENT COUNTRIES.

M. HOCKE ARGUED THAT PEOPLE COMING FROM VIETNAM WERE IN A

DIFFERENT POSITION FROM THOSE COMING FROM, FOR EXAMPLE, CHINA.

THERE WAS DEFINITE AND WIDESPREAD OPPRESSION IN VIETNAM,

RESULTING FROM THE GOVERNMENT'S POLICIES BOTH POLITICAL AND

ECONOMIC. PEOPLE LEAVING VIETNAM WERE NOT JUST ECONOMIC

MIGRANTS. HIS GENERAL APPROACH WAS THAT THEY SHOULD CONTINUE TO

BE TREATED AS REFUGEES, THOUGH HE WOULD BE WILLING TO LOOK FURTHER AT THIS IF WE FELT IT WOULD BE USEFUL: IT WAS IMPORTANT

THAT UNHCR SHOULD CONCENTRATE ITS EFFORT ON THOSE WHO REALLY

QUALIFIED FOR ITS HELP.

6.

M. HOCKE WENT ON THAT HIS LONGER-TERM APPROACH WAS TO GET

IT ESTABLISHED THAT THE SOLUTION TO THE REFUGEE PROBLEMS OF SOUTH

EAST ASIA SHOULD BE FOR PEOPLE TO GO BACK WHENCE THEY HAD COME.

HE WAS MAKING A START BY GETTING A SMALL NUMBER OF REFUGEES

RESETTLED IN CAMBODIA: HE WOULD BUILD ON THIS, AND MOVE ON TO LAOS AND EVENTUALLY TO VIETNAM. THIS WOULD TAKE YEARS RATHER

THAN MONTHS, AND HE DID NOT UNDERESTIMATE THE DIFFICULTIES.

WE COULD BE ASSURED THAT HE WAS DEVOTING SERIOUS THOUGHT AND

EFFORT TO THIS SORT OF SOLUTION. HE REALISED THAT RESETTLEMENT

BY ITSELF WOULD NOT SOLVE THE PROBLEM.

CLOSED CAMPS

M.

BUT

HOCKE SAID THAT UNHCR AND HMG HAD DIFFERED OVER THE

CLOSED CAMP POLICY SINCE ITS INTRODUCTION IN 1982. HE DID NOT BELIEVE THE POLICY WAS AN EFFECTIVE DETERRENT: THE DIMINUTION IN THE NUMBERS OF REFUGEES ARRIVING IN HONG KONG SINCE 1982 HAD BEEN MIRRORED ELSEWHERE IN THE REGION, WITHOUT THE INTRODUCTION OF SUCH POLICIES. HE ACCEPTED THAT WE TOOK A DIFFERENT VIEW.

BUT

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