TNAG-1540-FCO40-2104-Further-resettlement-of-Vietnamese-refugees-from-Hong-Kong-i-1986 — Page 205

OCMIAN 9229

CONFIDENTIAL

OO HOKON

FM FCOLN TO HOKON

101545Z JUL

GRS 278

CONFIDENTIAL

FM FCO

TO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG

TELNO 1409

CONFIDENTIAL

243

HKK 331/11

RECEIVE

RY

23 UL1

DEX

INDEX

OF 101545Z JULY 86

INFO IMMEDIATE UKMIS GENEVA

INFO ROUTINE BANGKOK, HANOI, KUALA LUMPUR

to

YOUR TELNO 2200 AND UKMIS TELNO 381

Aufione buk

VIETNAMESE REFUGEES

49229

1

1.

WE TAKE YOUR POINT ABOUT THE DIFFICULTIES THAT WOULD BE

INVOLVED IN THE INTRODUCTION OF SCREENING WITHOUT ARRANGEMENTS

HAVING FIRST BEEN MADE TO RETURN THOSE FOUND NOT (NOT) TO BE

REFUGEES. WE SEE NO OBJECTION TO THIS POINT BEING MADE BY UKMIS

GENEVA TO UNHCR AT WORKING LEVEL IF LATTER RAISES THIS ISSUE IN

DISCUSSION. HOWEVER, WE WOULD NOT (NOT) WISH TO MAKE ANY

SPECIFIC APPROACH TO UNHCR ON THIS QUESTION UNTIL WE KNOW

MINISTERS' VIEWS ON THE RECOMMENDATIONS SUMMARISED IN OUR TELNO

1346.

2.

YOU WILL ALSO WISH TO KNOW THAT WE UNDERSTAND FROM

BANGKOK (BEAN'S LETTER TO NASH, SEAD, OF 23 JUNE (COPIED TO MISS WALKER, UKMIS GENEVA)) THAT THE THAIS APPEAR TO HAVE RUN INTO

SIMILAR DIFFICULTIES OVER LAO SCREENING ARRANGEMENTS.

PRASONG IS REPORTED TO HAVE RAISED THE PROBLEM WITH THE

AMBASSADORS OF FIVE RESETTLEMENT COUNTRIES (USA, CANADA,

AUSTRALIA, FRANCE AND NEW ZEALAND) PLUS UNHCR ON 13 JUNE.

UNDERSTAND THAT 900 CASES HAVE NOW BEEN SCREENED OUT AND ARE HELD

BY THE THAIS PENDING REPATRIATION TO LAOS. THE LAO SEEM

BRIEFLY,

WE

1

CONFIDENTIAL

D)