CONFIDENTIAL
FM UKMIS GENEVA
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
TELNO 331
OF 131848Z JUNE
INFO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG
HUD 243/8
1404.48
CONFIDENTIAL
288
130623
MDHIAN 3187
COPY
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MY TELNO 326: VIETNAMESE REFUGEES: UNHCR RESPONSE
1. FOLLOWING ARE MY COMMENT ON UNHCR RESPONSE.
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2. UNHCR IS MORE POSITIVE THAN WE MIGHT HAVE EXPECTED, IN PARTICULAR THEIR SUPPORT FOR PRINCIPLE OF GOVERNMENT AND DETERMINATION OF
REFUGEE STATUS (PARA 7) IT IS ALSO USEFUL TO HAVE UNHCR'S ENDORSEMENT OF VIEW THAT THOSE WHO ARE NOT GRANTED REFUGEE STATUS, FOLLOWING SCREENING, WOULD BE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE HONG KONG AUTHORITIES, IE THEY WOULD NOT BE COVERED BY UNHCR'S MANDATE (PARA 12). IT IS ALSO, HOWEVER, A SIGNAL THAT HONG KONG CANNOT LOOK TO UNHCR FOR HELP WITH THE COSTS OF MAINTAINING THEM IN HONG KONG, PENDING RETURN TO VIETNAM.
3. CONTINUING UNHCR SUPPORT FOR RESETTLEMENT OF REFUGEES FROM HONG KONG (PARAGRAPH 13), AND UNHCR'S OFFER OF TECHNICAL AND LEGAL ADVICE TO HONG KONG IN DEVELOPING APPROPRIATE GUIDELINES (PARA 14) ARE ALSO WELCOME.
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4. PARAGRAPH 8 OF UNHCR'S NOTE SUGGESTS THAT THE PHRASE ''REFUGEE STATUS DETERMINATION PROCEDURE' SHOULD BE USED INSTEAD OF
SCREENING
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I HOPE THIS CAN BE AGREED FOR USE IN OFFICIAL DOCUMENTS AND STATEMENTS. IT MAY SEEM A SMALL POINT (THE PROCESS CAN CONTINUE TO BE CALLED, FOR SHORTHAND PURPOSES, 'SCREENING'') BUT IT WOULD HELP TO GAIN UNHCR'S COOPERATION AND ENDORSEMENT, AND IS THUS A POINT WORTH CONCEDING.
5. I HOPE, THEREFORE, THAT I CAN BE AUTHORISED TO GIVE A POSITIVE REACTION TO THE UNHCR RESPONSE.
6. THE LEGISLATIVE CHANGED PROPOSED IN HONG KONG TEL NO 2255 IS
RELEVANT TO PARAGRAPH 9 OF UNHCR'S RESPONSE, WHERE EMPHASIS IS LAID ON FAMILY REUNIFICATION CONSIDERATIONS. AS LONG AS THERE ARE HOLD UPS IN THE ODP PROGRAMMES, THERE ARE LIKELY TO BE ARRIVALS AMONG THE BOAT PEOPLE WHO MAY NOT BE ABLE TO CLAIM ''REFUGEE STATUS BUT MAY BE ELIGIBLE FOR RESETTLEMENT ON OTHER GROUNDS. I SUGGEST THAT ANY
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