TNAG-1540-FCO40-2104-Further-resettlement-of-Vietnamese-refugees-from-Hong-Kong-i-1986 — Page 143

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4. MS. WENSLEY THEN REFERRED TO THE STATEMENT MADE BY MR. CHRIS

HURFORD ABOUT THE INCREASHING CONCERN THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT HAD OVER THE PROBLEM OF THE MNCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF REFUGEES

WHO HAD DEPARTED WETNAM FOR ECONOMIC REASONS. THE AUSTRAL HANS

BELIEVE THAT A LARGE PROPORTION OF THOSE LEAVING VIETNAM NOWADAYS

ARE NOT GENUINE REFUGEES AND CANNOT ESTABLISH ANY CLAM OF

INDIVIDUAL POLINTINCALLY-MOTIVATED PERSECUTION. RATHER, THEIR MAHIN REASON FOR LEAVING THE COUNTRY WAS FOR THE PURPOSE OF ACHIEVING

A BETTER ECONOMIC LIFE. HIN THE OPINION OF THE AUSTRALIAN

GOVERNMENT, SUCH REFUGEES SHOULD BE SCREENED SO THAT RESCOURCES MADE AVAILABLE BY AUSTRALIA (AND THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY

GENERALLY) TO RESPOND TO THE NEEDS OF GENUINE REFUGEES WERE NOT

ABUSED BY THOSE WHO HAD NO REAL CLAIM FOR REFUGEE STATUS. WE

AGREED WE HAD ALSO IDENTIFIED AN INCREASING NUMBER OF ARRIVALS

WHO HAD COME BECAUSE OF ECONOMIC REASONS AND THAT THE ONLY WAY

TO PREVENT FURTHER ARRIVALS FROM THIS GROUP OF PEOPLE WAS TO RETURN

THEM FROM WHENCE THEY CAME. MS. WENSLEY'S BRIEF RESPONSE COULD BE INTERPRETED TO THE EFFECT THAT THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT, BECAUSE MT WANTED TO REDUCE THE UNEMPLOYMENT CREATED BY ECONOMIC MIGRANTS, AT LEAST WOULD NOT (NOT) OPPOSE THIS SOLUTION. BUT, BECAUSE OF HMG'S PRESENT OPPOSITION TO MIT, WE DID NOT (NOT) PRESS HER FOR A CLEARER ANSWER.

5. MS. WENSLEY ALSO RAISED THE QUESTION OF MERCY SHIPS AND

SUBSEQUENTLY SENT US A PAPER SETTING OUT THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT'S

WIEWS ON THEIR OPERATHONS WHICH IS #INCLUDED IN MIFT.

6. WOULD IT BE POSSIBLE FOR CANBERRA TO TRY AND GET THE AUSTRALIAN

GOVERNMENT TO FIRM UP HITS VIEWS ON REPATRIATING ECONOMIC MIGRANTS,

AS PART OF YOUR EFFORT TO DEVELOP A MULTILATERAL APPROACH TO SOLVE

THE LONG TERM PROBLEM (YOUR TEL 1464)?

AKERS-JONES

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