TNAG-1794-FCO40-2554-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-refugees-repatriation--including-Opera-1988 — Page 140

CONFIDENTIAL

467

031065

MDHIAN 6319

HKD 243/8

RECEIVED IN REGISTRY

-7 JUL 1988

TOD COPY O DIST ?

CONFIDENTIAL

FM HONG KONG

TO DESKBY 070800Z FCO

INL

TELNO 2600

OF 070600Z JULY 88

PA

INFO PRIORITY UKMIS GENEVA

INFO ROUTINE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE LONDON

466

423

VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE: UNHCR POSITION: YOUR TELNOS 179 AND 182 TO UKMIS GENEVA AND 1749, AND UKMIS GENEVA TELNO 370

(4432)

378452

I AGREE THAT FOLLOWING THE POSITIVE OUTCOME OF THE INFORMAL EXCOM (UKMIS GENEVA TUR) IT WOULD BE A GOOD IDEA TO SPEAK FIRMLY AGAIN TO UNHCR.

2. IT WAS INTERESTING TO SEE (PARA 4 OF UKMIS TUR) THAT DE MELLO DID NOT (NOT) MAKE ANY REFERENCE TO UNHCR CONCERNS OVER THE WARNING

NOTICE. THIS COULD IMPLY THAT UNHCR ARE MODIFYING THEIR POSITION BUT, IN ANY EVENT, WE WOULD CERTAINLY WISH TO URGE UNHCR AGAIN TO START DISCUSSIONS WITH US IN HONG KONG ABOUT THE APPLICATION OF THEIR

GUIDELINES AND CRITERIA FOR DETERMINING REFUGEE STATUS AND ABOUT THE

DETAILED ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE ACCOMMODATION OF REFUGEES AS WELL AS

THOSE SCREENED OUT AS ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS. WE WILL BE HAPPY TO DISCUSS THESE AND OTHER RELEVANT ISSUES IN A CO-OPERATIVE SPIRIT. WE WOULD, AS PREVIOUSLY STATED, WELCOME THEIR TECHNICAL ADVICE ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF ARRANGEMENTS FOR SCREENING, ETC.

3. I THEREFORE AGREE WITH THE LINE TO TAKE IN PARA 2 OF SECOND TUR.

4. WITH THE PROPOSED ''FACE-SAVING'' FORMULA IN PARA 4 OF 2ND TUR, I WOULD PREFER A MODIFICATION AS FOLLOWS:

''WE UNDERSTAND UNHCR'S CONCERNS ABOUT SOME ASPECTS OF THE POLICY.

WE BELIEVE THESE CONCERNS WOULD BE BEST ADDRESSED IN DISCUSSION WITH THE HONG KONG AUTHORITIES. THE HONG KONG AUTHORITIES ARE WILLING TO

DISCUSS THESE CONCERNS FURTHER WITH UNHCR AND WOULD WELCOME IN

PARTICULAR THE OPPORTUNITY TO DISCUSS THE APPLICATION OF UNHCR GUIDELINES AND CRITERIA FOR DETERMINING REFUGEE STATUS IN THE CONTEXT OF BOAT PEOPLE FROM VIETNAM. THE HONG KONG AUTHORITIES WOULD BE

WILLING TO CONSIDER THE POSSIBILITY OF SOME ADJUSTMENTS IN DUE

COURSE IN THE LIGHT OF THE PREVAILING CONDITIONS ON THE GROUND AND

IN THE LIGHT OF THE DISCUSSIONS THEY LOOK FORWARD TO HAVING WITH UNHCR IN HONG KONG.'