TNAG-1536-FCO40-2100-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-refugees-resettlement-in-third-countri-1986 — Page 27

ZCZC

HPLNCN 6271 BDHPAN 4039

RESTRICTED

TT FCOLN

FM BANGK TO FCOLN

17070OZ JUN

GRS 600

RESTRICTED

FM BANGKOK

TO TELELETTER FCO

TELELETTER U/N

OF 1707002 JUNE 86

FROM P L BEAN, BRITISH EMBASSY, BANGKOK

'Nitrate lord

@

the Nash & chismisel

Awa 54.

tapeed a MK Ging resettlest persity

Love

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at the moment.

246.

15/1525 CE240

RA

Ms: Resettlement in Ulc

HKK 243/9

RECEIVED IN REGISTRY

FOLLOWING FOR STEPHEN NASH ESQ, SEAD,FCO

27 JUN 1986

DESK OFFICER INDEX

PA

REGISTRY Action Takes

KHAO 1 DANG REFUGEE CAMP

1. SQDN LDR PRASONG SONNSRI, SECRETARY-GENERAL OF THE NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL, CALLED A MEETING ON 13 JUNE WITH AMBASSADORS FROM THE FIVE MAJOR REFUGEE RESETTLEMENT COUNTRIES, USA, CANADA, AUSTRALIA, FRANCE AND NEW ZEALAND AND THE UNHCR OFFICE HERE

2. WE HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT PRASONG TOUCHED ON THE GLOBAL NATURE OF THE PROBLEM OF INDO-CHINA REFUGEES, AND MORE ESPECIALLY ON THE PROBLEM FOR THAILAND, HE DESCRIBED THE DOWNWARD TREND IN RESETTLEMENT FIGURES AS DEPRESSING AND EXPRESSED CONCERN THAT THE RESTRICTIVE CRITERIA OF RESETTLEMENT COUNTRIES FOR TAKING REFUGEES HAD LED TO A WORSENING OF THE SITUATION, WHEREBY THE NUMBER BEING RESETTLED HAD FALLEN EVERY MONTH SO FAR THIS YEAR. HE PROPOSED THAT RESETTLEMENT GOVERNMENTS SHOULD CONCENTRATE ON TAKING THE REFUGEES FROM KHAO I DANG. HE WAS PREPARED TO ALLOW THE RATION CARD HOLDERS (THOSE WHO HAD ARRIVED AFTER THE CUT-OFF DATE FOR REFUGEE STATUS, BUT BEFORE THE END OF 1984) TO BE INCLUDED,

IN ADDITION TO THE 'REFUGEES', FOR ELIGIBILITY FOR RESETTLEMENT.

*

HE INITIALLY GAVE THE REPRESENTATIVES OF THE GOVERNMENTS PRESENT FOUR MONTHS TO CONSIDER THE SITUATION (18LYING THAT IF THE

SITUATION HAD NOT BY THEN IMPROVED, HE WOULD CLOSE THE CAMP). HOWEVER

AFTER STATEMENTS BY UNHCR AND OTHERS PRESENT, HE EXTENDED THIS PERIOD TO 6 MONTHS TO BE FOLLOWED BY A FURTHER SUCH MEETING TO **REVICH THE POSITION**. PRASONG ALSO SALD. THAT THIS WAS ONLY INE *Postmedici HESHOULD BE HABANG MEETINGS WITH OTHÉE. THI

COUNTRIES. ALL COUNTRIES SHOULD BE PREPARED TO TAKE MORE REFUGEES. UNHCR HAVE PUBLICLY SUPPORTED PRASONG'S CALL FOR

AN INCREASE IN RESETTLEMENT TO THIRD COUNTRIES,

COMMENT

3. THIS MEETING, WHICH HAS RECEIVED CONSIDERABLE PUBLICITY LOCALLY, IS SEEN BY THE MAJOR RESETTLEMENT COUNTRIES AS AN ATTEMPT TO PROD THEM INTO TAKING MORE REFUGLES, ESPECIALLY FROM KHAO I DANG. HERE THE RESIDUE OF REFUGEES LEFT AFTER EXTENSIVE INTERVIEWING AND RESETTLEMENT ARE CONSIDERED TO BE THE MOST DIFFICULT CASES TO RESETTLE IN THIRD COUNTRIES. MANY OF THIS NUMBER, TOTALLING AROUND 14,000, HAVE BEEN INTERVIEWED BY SEVERAL DIFFERENT COUNTRIES WITHOUT SUCCESS. PRASONG IS KNOWN TO BE UNHAPPY AT WHAT INCREASINGLY APPEARS TO BE A HARD-CORE OF LONG STAYING REFUGEES AT KHAO I DANG, WHO HAVE A DIMINISHING CHANCE OF LEAVING THAILARE.

4. WHILST PRASONG HAS REGULARLY TAKED EACH YEAR IN TERMS

OF CLOSING THE CAMP, THIS LATEST MOVE APPEARS TO BE HIS MOST SERIOUSLY INTENTIONED THREAT TO DATE, AND COULD PRESAGE A GENUINE DESIRE TO DISPENSE WITH KHAO 1 DANG AND INTEGRATE THE REFUGEES WITHIN THE ENCAMPMENTS FOR DISPLACED PERSONS ALONG THE BORDER. UNHCR HAVE GIVEN PUBLIC SUPPORT TO PRASONG'S CALL FOR GREATER EFFORTS TO TAKE MORE REFUCEES BECAUSE OF THEIR SHARED CONCERN AT THE PLIGHT OF THESE **LONG STAYERS**.

S. WE CONSIDER IT LIKELY THAT WE TOO WILL BE, AT SOME STAGE, PRESSED BY PRASONG TO TAKE MORE REFUGEES. WE ARE CONSIDERING WHAT LINE WE SHOULD TAKE IN THIS CASE, BUT ANY CURRENT GUIDANCE YOU COULD LET US HAVE WOULD BE WELCOME.

6. LETTER FOLLOWS

SIGNED P L BEAN

YYYY

BDHPAN 4039

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