TNAG-1534-FCO40-2098-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-refugees-repatriation-1986 — Page 46

Vietnamese of Chinese ethnic origin, or the Catholics of

Vietnam. There could be considerable difficulties in

establishing and justifying differences of treatment for

1.

these sub-groups.

No revethat contres To so averly

2. The problem is aggravated by the fact that it is now

general practice to referr to all those who have left

Indochina as refugees. Research Department files on the

1979 Conference on Refugees and Displaced Persons in

South-East Asia (20-21 July 1979) do not show that any

formal or informal agreement was reached between

participating governments and UNHCR to a group clas-

sification of the Vietnamese as refugees. There seems

to merely to have been a number of speeches culminating a summing up by the Secretary General of the consensus

which had emerged on the framework of a plan of action.

This does not mention the question of classification.

alas my warding привелет for tous file ринка

3. The use of the word "refugees" as an accompaniment to

the normal "displaced persons" came promenently into the

debate at the end of 1978. The report of the UN High

کرنا

Commission for Refugees for April 1977 March 1978

continues to use only the words "displaced persons" as

regards those leaving Indochina. This usage had

originally been given sanction by the 1975 GA resolution

3455 on Humanitarian assistance to the Indochinese

displaced persons.

4. However the UNHCR report for April 1978 to March 1979

refers to both "refugees" and "displaced persons" from

CONFIDENTIAL

Printed in the UK for HMSO D₫ 8422057 2/84 (28592)