TNAG-1793-FCO40-2553-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-refugees-repatriation--including-Opera-1988 — Page 149

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306

HUD 24318

135137

MDLIAN 5134

CONFIDENTIAL

FM COPENHAGEN

TO PRIORITY FCO

TELNO 169

OF 14143OZ JUNE 88

INFO ROUTINE HONG KONG, UKMIŞ GENEVA

(286)

TOP COPY 1 031 7

YOUR TELNOS 132 AND 133 TO`ATHENS: VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE IN HONG

KONG: CHANGE OF POLICY

1. IN THE ABSENCE ON LEAVE OF THE HEAD OF THE MFA LEGAL DEPARTMENT RESPONSIBLE FOR REFUGEE QUESTIONS, WE CALLED THIS MORNING (14 JUNE) ON THE HEAD OF THE RELEVANT SECTION IN THE DEPARTMENT. WE SPOKE AS

INSTRUCTED IN YOUR TELNO 133 TO ATHENS AND LEFT A COPY OF OUR

SPEAKING NOTE.

2. KLINGENBERG SAID HE APPRECIATED THE PROBLEM WHICH THE PRESENT

SITUATION CAUSED FOR HONG KONG AND UNDERSTOOD WHY A CHANGE OF POLICY HAD BEEN THOUGHT NECESSARY. HE ASKED WHETHER THE UNHCR HAD BEEN

CONSULTED ABOUT THE NEW PROCEDURES. WE SAID THAT WE HAD NO

INSTRUCTIONS ON THAT POINT BUT STRESSED THAT UNHCR WOULD HAVE THE

OPPORTUNITY TO OBSERVE SCREENING PROCEDURES AND TO BE INVOLVED IN

APPEALS HE ALSO ASKED WHETHER UNHCR WOULD BE INVOLVED IN THE NEGOTIATIONS WITH THE VIETNAMESE AUTHORITIES TO ARRANGE SUITABLE

SAFEGUARDS FOR REPATRIATED ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS. WE SAID WE ASSUMED

UNHCR WOULD BE. (COMMENT. THESE WERE THE TWO POINTS WHICH SEEMED MOST IMPORTANT TO THE MFA. GRATEFUL FOR GUIDANCE ON THEM.)

R

3. KLINGENBERG WENT ON TO SAY THAT DENMARK WAS FOLLOWING UNHCR

GUIDELINES. THIS MEANT THAT HALF OF HER 1988 QUOTA OF 250 REFUGEES

WOULD BE TAKEN UP BY IRANIAN REFUGEES FROM TURKEY. THE YEAR'S QUOTA

WAS ALMOST EXHAUSTED. ONLY A FEW VIETNAMESE FROM HONG KONG HAD BEEN

ADMITTED. THE PROBLEM FOR DENMARK WAS EXACERBATED BY THE FACT THAT

SHE ALSO RECEIVED A GOOD NUMBER OF SPONTANEOUS ASYLUM SEEKERS WHO HAD

THE RIGHT TO A HEARING, WITH CONSEQUENT LENGTHY LEGAL PROCEDURES, I F THEY HAD BEEN SUFFERING FROM PERSECUTION OR HAD CONNECTIONS (FAMILY

OR OTHERWISE) WITH DENMARK. HE SUGGESTED THAT IT WOULD BE HELPFUL IF

UNHCR COULD SET PRIORITIES FOR OTHER CATEGORIES OF REFUGEE IN THE

SAME WAY AS THEY HAD DONE FOR IRANIANS IN TURKEY. HE IMPLIED THAT

UNLESS UNHCR SUGGESTED THAT VIETNAMESE IN HONG KONG BE GIVEN PRIORITY,

IT WAS UNLIKELY THAT DENMARK WOULD BE ABLE TO INCREASE HER

INTAKE OF SUCH REFUGEES.

4. KLINGENBERG, WHO RECOGNISED THE IMPORTANCE OF KEEPING THE CHANGE

1

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