TNAG-1540-FCO40-2104-Further-resettlement-of-Vietnamese-refugees-from-Hong-Kong-i-1986 — Page 207

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Confidential

GRS 340 CONFIDENTIAL

FM UKMIS CENEVA

TO PRIORITY FCO

TELNO 387

OF 091444Z JULY 1986

RECL

HKK 243/11

23 JUL 1986

INFO PRIORITY HONG KONG

INFO ROUTINE HANOI, KUALA LUMPUR, BANGKOK

INI

RELISTRY

Action Taken

MY TELNO 361: VIETNAMESE REFUGEES

1.

I HAD A CHANCE TO GO OVER THIS GROUND WITH THE UN HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR PEFUGEES LAST NIGHT. ALTHOUGH ROCKE DID NOT SEEM YET TO HAVE THOUGHT THIS QUESTION THROUGH IN DETAIL, HIS OFF-THE-CUFF REMARKS GAVE SOME INSIGHT INTO THE POSITION HE IS

LIKELY TO TAKE.

2. HOCKE CONFIRMED THAT, IN HIS VIEW, PEOPLE LEAVING VIETNAM STILL NEEDED TO BE REGARDED AS REFUGEES. HE WAS NOT IN FAVOUR OF ATTEMPTS TO RE-CLASSIFY SOME OF THEM AS ECONOMIC MIGRANTS. NOR DID HE ENVISAGE A LEADING ROLE FOR UNHCR IN NEGOTIATING WITH THE

VIETNAMESE.

3. SUT HE AGREED THAT THE PRESENT SITUATION SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED TO DRAG ON. ALTHOUGH THE TREND LAST YEAR HAD BEEN RELATIVELY ENCOURAGING WITH RESETTLEMENT IN THIRD COUNTRIES OUTSTRIPPING THE RATE OF NEW ARRIVALS., THINGS HAD TAKEN A TURN FOR THE WORSE THIS YEAR. HE ACCEPTED THAT RESETTLEMENT COUNTRIES WOULD NOT GO ON INDEFINITELY ACCEPTING LARGE NUMBERS OF VIETNAMESE REFUGEES AND THAT THE PATIENCE OF COUNTRIES OF FIRST ASYLUM IN THE REGION WOULD COME UNDER GREATER STRAIN.

4. HOCKE SEEMED TO FAVOUR TRYING TO TACKLE THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM RATHER THAN CONTNUING TO FIND REMEDIES FOR THE SYMPTOMS. BUT HE ARGUED THAT IT WAS REALLY UP TO THE GOVERNMENTS PRIMARILY CONCERNED (AMONG RESETTLEMENT COUNTRIES PARTICULARLY PERHAPS THE UNITED STATES, FRANCE AND AUSTRALIA AS WELL AS THOSE OF THE COUNTRIES IN THE REGION AFFECTED BY ARRIVALS OF VIETNAMESE REFUGEES) TO TALK TO THE VIETNAMESE GOVERNMENT. THEY WOULD NEED TO GET THE MESSAGE OVER TO THE VIETNAMESE THAT THEY COULD NOT ACCEPT AN INDEFINITE

Confidential

/CONTINUATION

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