TNAG-1794-FCO40-2554-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-refugees-repatriation--including-Opera-1988 — Page 189

FROM LON COREU

TO ATH COREU PRIORITE

INFO ALL COREU PRIORITE

CPE/LON 341

04.07.88 16.25 HRS

RESTRICTED

PAC

расукв

021511

MDLOAN 4794

HKD 243/8

TOP COPY

DIST ?

DIFFUSION RESTREINTE

OBJET

VIETNAM AND THE INDO CHINESE REFUGEE PROBLEM

PART I OF II PARTS

1.

AT THE MEETING OF THE POLITICAL COMMITTEE ON 30/31 MAY THE

UK EXPRESSED CONCERN ABOUT THE CONTINUING FLOW OF BOAT PEOPLE

FROM VIETNAM AND SUGGESTED THAT IT COULD BE USEFUL FOR THE TWELVE

TO TAKE CONCRETE ACTION. THE UK OFFERED TO CIRCULATE A PAPER AS

A BASIS FOR FURTHER DISCUSSION OF THE PROBLEM, IN THE CONTEXT OF THE POLICY OF THE TWELVE TOWARDS VIETNAM.

2.

·

THE PROBLEM OF INDO CHINESE REFUGEES HAS BEEN REPEATEDLY DISCUSSED BY THE TWELVE. IT FEATURED IN DISCUSSIONS BETWEEN EC

AND ASEAN MINISTERS AT THEIR MEETING IN DUSSELDORF ON 1 MAY. ON

THAT OCCASION THERE WAS A LARGE MEASURE OF AGREEMENT ON THE

BASIC APPROACH TO THE PROBLEM AND ON SPECIFIC MEASURES THAT

SHOULD BE TAKEN TO HELP RESOLVE IT. IN PARTICULAR EC AND ASEAN

MINISTERS AGREED THAT THE ORIGINS OF THE PROBLEM LAY IN VIETNAM

THAT VIETNAM SHOULD COOPERATE WITH UNHCR, THE COUNTRIES OF FIRST ASYLUM AND THE RESETTLEMENT COUNTRIES TO FIND A SOLUTION, AND

THAT IT SHOULD ALSO ACCEPT THE RETURN OF THOSE WHO DO NOT MEET

THE AGREED CRITERIA FOR REFUGEE STATUS, SUBJECT TO SATISFACTORY GUARANTEES AS TO THEIR TREATMENT ON RETURN. THE TEXT OF THE RELEVANT PART OF THE EC/ASEAN MINISTERS' COMMUNIQUE IS IN ANNEX A

OF THIS PAPER

3.

THE INDO CHINESE REFUGEE PROBLEM HAS BEEN A SOURCE OF

CONCERN FOR MANY YEARS. BUT IN RECENT MONTHS THIS CONCERN HAS

INTENSIFIED AS THE SITUATION BEGAN TO DETERIORATE RAPIDLY: SINCE

THE BEGINNING OF THIS YEAR THE NUMBERS OF BOAT PEOPLE ARRIVING IN THAILAND, MALAYSIA AND HONG KONG, THE THREE PRINCIPAL DESTINATIONS, HAVE INCREASED DRAMATICALLY. SO FAR THIS YEAR, THE

CAMP POPULATIONS HAVE INCREASED FROM 6300 TO OVER 13000 IN THAILAND (TO MAY), FROM 9000 TO 11500 IN MALAYSIA (TO MAY), AND FROM 8000 TO 17500 IN HONG KONG (TO JUNE). AT THE SAME TIME,

PROSPECTS FOR RESETTLEMENT IN THE WEST FOR MOST OF THESE REFUGEES

1

PAGE

RESTRICTED

THE