TNAG-1791-FCO40-2551-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-refugees-repatriation--including-Opera-1988 — Page 39

CONFIDENTIAL

FM FCO

TO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG

TELNO 984

OF 191500Z APRIL 88

INFO PRIORITY UKMIS GENEVA

CONFIDENTIAL

al

112374

MDHOAN 4366

LLD 243/8

TOP COPY

DIST ?

MY SECOND IPT: VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE IN HONG KONG: POSSIBLE WAY

AHEAD

1.

LOOKING AT OPTIONS (A) AND (B) IN PARA 1 OF YOUR TELNO 1277, WE HAVE CONCLUDED THAT ONLY OPTION (B), WHICH HAS SCREENING AS ITS CENTRAL FEATURE, WOULD BE:

COMPATIBLE AND CONSISTENT WITH THE EXPECTATIONS OF THE

INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY: AND

(A)

(B) COMPATIBLE AND CONSISTENT WITH THE RESPONSIBILITIES WHICH WE SHARE (AND IN POLITICAL TERMS IT IS ALL ONE WHETHER THIS DERIVES FROM LEGAL OBLIGATIONS OR HUMANITARIAN COMMITMENT) TO PROVIDE FOR THOSE WHO DO MEET REFUGEE CRITERIA.

2.

THE FIRST OPTION MIGHT NOT (NOT) BE SUBJECT TO VIGOROUS INTERNATIONAL OBJECTIONS IF IT WERE COMBINED WITH A COMMITMENT TO REVIEW AT AN APPROPRIATE TIME THE REFUGEE STATUS OF THOSE AFFECTED, AND IF IT WERE CLEAR THAT NONE WHO MET REFUGEE CRITERIA WOULD BE RETURNED TO VIETNAM. UNDER THESE CONDITIONS YOU COULD POSSIBLY ARGUE, AT LEAST FOR A WHILE, THAT YOU WERE CONTINUING TO OFFER FIRST ASYLUM TO GENUINE REFUGEES PENDING THEIR IDENTIFICATION WITH A VIEW TO RESETTLEMENT. BUT THIS WOULD BE A DISINGENUOUS ARGUMENT. WE THINK YOU WOULD NEED TO DEMONSTRATE THAT THERE WERE CLEAR AND SIGNIFICANT ADVANTAGES IN SUCH A COURSE. OTHERWISE THE POTENTIAL COST IN TERMS OF SUPPORT FROM UNHCR AND THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY, AND PARTICULARLY IN TERMS OF POSSIBLE COMMITMENTS TO RESETTLE THOSE ALREADY IN HONG KONG, WOULD SEEM TO ARGUE VERY STRONGLY AGAINST IT. THE PRIVATE QUALIFICATIONS OF OPTION (A) WHICH YOU SUGGEST IN PARA 2 OF YOUR TELNO 1277 FALL SHORT OF THE COMMITMENT SUGGESTED ABOVE. WE CONCLUDE THAT OPTION (A) IS NOT DESIRABLE.

3.

YOU WILL OF COURSE BE AWARE THAT OPTION (B) ALSO CARRIES CONSIDERABLE RISKS. IN EFFECT YOU WOULD BE COMMITTING YOURSELF TO A POLICY OF HOUSING IN DETENTION A POTENTIALLY LARGE NUMBER OF PEOPLE FOR AN INDEFINITE PERIOD WITH LITTLE OR NO HOPE OF RESETTLEMENT. IT WOULD BE AN EXPENSIVE POLICY, AND YOU WILL BE ALL TOO CONSCIOUS OF THE TENSIONS TO WHICH THE PRESENCE OF THIS COMMUNITY COULD GIVE RISE IN A SMALL TERRITORY LIKE HONG KONG. THE POTENTIAL COUNTERVAILING BENEFIT WOULD BE THE ACCEPTANCE BY

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