TNAG-1537-FCO40-2101-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-refugees-resettlement-in-third-countri-1986 — Page 137

GRS 300

CONFIDENTIAL

FM HONG KONG

TO HIMMEDIATE FCO

TELNO 2516

Confidential

OF 051002Z AUGUST 86

AND TO HIMMEDIATE CANBERRA, UKMNS GENEVA, HANOI, BANGKOK, KUALA LUMPUR

MIPT: WETNAMESE REFUGEES.

FOLLOWING HIS TEXT OF AUSTRAL HAN GOVERNMENT'S VIEWS ON MERCY SHIIPS:

OPEN QUOTES. OVERALL, AUSTRALIA REGARDS MERCY SHIP OPERATIONS AS A COMPLICATION AND UNHELPFUL DEVELOPMENT WHICH HINDERS THE INTER- NATHONAL COMMUNITY'S CAPACITY TO RESPOND TO THE PROBLEMS OF

CLANDESTINE OUTFLOWS FROM WHETNAM.

OUR POSITION IS AS FOLLOWS: AUSTRALINA IS PARTICULARLY CONCERNED THAT MERCY SHIP EXPEDITIONS IN THE SOUTH CHINA SEA ACT AS A PULL FACTOR ENCOURAGING CLANDESTINE DEPARTURES FROM VIETNAM. SUCH DEPARTURES ARE OFTEN UNDERTAKEN WITH MINIMAL PREPARATION 'N UNSEA-

WORTHY BOATS MIN CONDITIONS OF GRAVE RISK AND FREQUENTLY FATAL

RESULTS. OF SPECIAL CONCERN IN THAS REGARD IS THAT SABLING AND

OTHER DETAILS OF MERCY SHIP OPERATIONS HAVE BEEN THE SUBJECT OF

VHETNAMESE LANGUAGE SHORTWAVE BROADCASTS TO VIETNAM THEREBY GIVING

CLEAR ENCOURAGEMENT TO THOSE CONTEMPLATING HILLEGAL DEPARTURE.

AUSTRALINA WILL NOT PROVIDE ANY ASSISTANCE FOR MERCY SHIP ACTIVITIES,

EATHER DIRECT OR WINDHRECT. WE WILL NOT PROVIDE GUARANTEES OF

RESETTLEMENT FOR PEOPLE RESCUED BY MERCY SHIPS NOR WILL WE ACCEPT

SUCH PERSONS UNDER OUR REFUGEES OR SHP PROGRAMMES. PERSONS RESCUED

BY MERCY SHAPS WHO HAVE RELATIVES IN AUSTRALINA CAN BE CONSIDERED

FOR ENTRY ONLY UNDER FAMILY REUNION MIGRATION PROVISIONS. WE DO

NOT CONSIDER THAT MERCY SHIPS ARE A HELPFUL MEANS OF ADDRESSING

THE PROBLEMS SURROUNDING RESCUE OF VIETNAMESE #N DISTRESS AT SEA.

IN OUR VIEW, EFFORTS SHOULD BE CONCENTRATED ON SYSTEMATIC H«NUT-

"HATIVES TO IMPROVE RESCUE RATES AND ENCOURAGE SHIPS MASTERS TO

ADHERE TO THEIR RESPONSIBILITIES UNDER THE LAW OF THE SEA, SUCH

AS UNHCR INFORMATION DISSEMINATION ACTIVITIES AND SCHEMES SUCH AS

RASRO (RESCUE AT SEA RESETTLEMENT OFFERS). CLOSE QUOTATION MARKS.

AKERS-JONES

HMLNAN

0010

LIMITED

1

HKD

SEAD UND

SPD

MR WILSON

Confidential

[REPEATED AS REQUESTEDĮ