CONFIDENTIAL
127551
MDHIAN 6986
WOULD HAPPEN:
11.
(I)
ILLEGAL
(II)
ALL NEW VIETNAMESE BOAT ARRIVALS WOULD BE TREATED AS
IMMIGRANTS.
THEY
ONLY THOSE WHO ALREADY HAD GUARANTEED OFFERS OF
SETTLEMENT ELSEWHERE WOULD BE ALLOWED TO MOVE ON. OTHER
ARRIVALS WOULD NOT (NOT) BE AVAILABLE FOR RESETTLEMENT. WOULD BE HELD IN CLOSED CAMPS PENDING RETURN TO VIETNAM AT SOME FUTURE DATE, EXCEPT AS IN (III) BELOW.
(III) WE WOULD MAKE IT CLEAR THAT, WHEN THE TIME COMSE FOR REPATRIATION, NO PERSON IN GENUINE FEAR OF PERSECUTION ON POLITICAL, RELIGIOUS OR RACIAL GROUNDS WOULD BE RETURNED.
(IV)
UNHCR WOULD BE ALLOWED ACCESS TO NEW ARRIVALS ONLY IN ITS PROTECTION AND ASSISTANCE ROLES, NOT FOR RESETTLEMENT PURPOSES.
SOME IMPORTANT POINTS REMAIN TO BE CONSIDERED MORE FULLY. IN
PARTICULAR:
(I)
WHAT TO DO ABOUT THE EXISTING POPULATION OF THE CLOSED CAMPS. THERE IS AN ARGUMENT FOR MOVING THEM TO OPEN CAMPS TO FACILITATE RESETTLEMT AND TO DRAW A CLEAR DISTINCTION BETWEEN THOSE ACCEPTED AS REFUGEES UNDER THE OLD POLICY AND THOSE TREATED AS ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS UNDER THE NEW. AGAINST THIS,
SUCH A MOVE MIGHT BE MISINTERPRETED IN VIETNAM AS A SIGNAL OF
RELAXATION AND THEREFORE ENCOURAGE FURTHER ARRIVALS. ONE POSSIBILITY MIGHT BE TO ANNOUNCE PUBLICLY THAT IF THE NEW
DETERRENT MEASURES HAD BEEN EFFECTIVE IN REDUCING THE FLOW AFTER SAY SIX MONTHS, THEN THOSE AT PRESENT IN CLOSED CAMPS WOULD BE MOVED TO OPEN CAMPS.
(II)
SCREENING. IT WOULD BE IMPORTANT TO MAKE CLEAR THAT WE HAD ADEQUATE ARRANGEMENT TO FULFIL THE COMMITMENT NOT TO
REPATRIATE GENUINE REFUGEES AS IN PARA 9(III) ABOVE. THIS
WOULD BE IMPORTANT IN TERMS OF REACTION OVERSEAS TO A CHANGE
OF POLICY. SCREENING ON ARRIVAL HOWEVER POSES THE PROBLEM THAT IF A SUBSTANTIAL NUMBER WAS SCREENED AS REFUGEES, THE DETERRENT FACTOR OF THE NEW POLICY WOULD BE SEVERLY UNDERMINED. WE ARE PURSUING THIS POINT IN SEPARATE TELEGRAMS.
(III) THE LONG TERM PROBLEM THAT IF, DESPITE THIS MAJOR
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