TNAG-1534-FCO40-2098-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-refugees-repatriation-1986 — Page 65

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B

C

✓

committees resume after the summer break. We shall submit

towards the end of August with а draft minute from the

Secretary of State to the

to the Home Secretary arguing that the

present resettlement programme should at least be kept

going until the issue can be discussed by Ministers

collectively. (Home Office officials have advised us that

an approach at that level may be more promising than one from Mr Renton to Mr Waddington.)

5.

On our strategy for international discussion of the

problem we have now consulted UKMis Geneva (our telno 319

and UKMIS telno 476).

An international strategy

6.

involve ourselves in

issue by associating

Geneva for

It is proposed that we

international consultation on the

ourselves with the "Honolulu group". This comprises the

main resettlement countries (the US, Australia and Canada),

Japan and the UNHCR, and meets periodically in Geneva

informal discussion on refugee and resettlement matters. It has become increasingly apparent that the Honolulu group

is already addressing the same concerns as ourselves. An

Australian paper discussed at the last meeting of the group

(in June) drew attention to the continuing outflow from

Vietnam; to the fact that the

"refugees" were seeking better

than fleeing from political

problems posed thereby for

countries of first asylum.

7.

vast majority of these

economic prospects rather

persecution; and to the

resettlement countries and

It is the advice of UKMIS Geneva that our association

would be welcomed by other members of the group. We shall

need to make approaches to group members in early September, reinforcing these by action in capitals. It is

anticipated that the October meeting of the Executive

Committee of UNHCR will offer opportunities for more

intensive discussion in the margins, and perhaps even for

substantive debate in EXCOM itself.

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