CONFIDENTIAL
FM FCO
TO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG
TELNO 1754
OF 01151OZ JUNE 88
INFO PRIORITY UKMIS GENEVA
INFO ROUTINE CANBERRA
-12
434
CONFIDENTIAL
TOP COPY
Q DIST ?
015362 MDHOAN 9593
HKD 243/8
OUR TELNO 1702: VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE IN HONG KONG: AUSTRALIAN
POSITION
1. WE HAVE NOW RECEIVED FROM THE HIGH COMMISSION HERE A
FURTHER REPORT ON THE DEMARCHE TO HOCKE BY THE
AUSTRALIAN MISSION IN GENEVA.
ACCORDING TO THE REPORT, HOCKE INDICATED HIS STRONG
DESIRE THAT UNHCR SHOULD PARTICIPATE IN THE SCREENING PROCEDURES.
BUT NOT AT ANY PRICE. HE WANTED IMPROVEMENTS TO
THE CRITERIA TO BE APPLIED IN THE SCREENING PROCESS.
HE SAW THE HONG KONG DECISION AS
PART OF THE WIDER STRATEGY OF SEEKING NEW INTERNATIONAL SOLUTIONS
TO THE INDO-CHINESE OUTFLOW.
2. FOLLOWING IS A SUMMARY OF THE MAIN POINTS OF INTEREST:
(A) UNHCR HAD NO DISPUTE WITH ANY DECISION OR COURSE
OF ACTION THAT WAS INTENDED TO ASSIST IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF A
NEW INTERNATIONAL SOLUTION TO THE INDO-CHINESE REFUGEES
SITUATION.
(B) OF PARTICULAR IMPORTANCE
IN UNHCR'S STRATEGIC APPROACH WAS THE
NEED TO EXERT MAXIMUM LEVERAGE ON VIETNAM TO GAIN ACCEPTANCE OF
NOT ONLY THE PRINCIPLE OF RETURN, BUT DISCUSSION ON THE
ACTUAL CONDITIONS OF RETURN.
(C) HE CONCEDED THAT EFFORTS HAD TO BE MADE TO MOVE FASTER
TOWARDS A CONSENSUS ON NEW SOLUTIONS.
(D) UNHCR WAS NOT OPPOSED TO SCREENING
INITIAL REACTION TO THE NEW POLICY WAS
OF WHAT WAS PERCEIVED AS
IN PRINCIPLE. BUT THEIR
CAUTIOUS BECAUSE
AN ESSENTIAL NEED TO CONSIDER WHAT CAME NEXT AFTER SCREENING. (E) HONG KONG'S DECISION WAS CERTAINLY A MOVE IN THE RIGHT
DIRECTION BUT WITHOUT EFFECTIVE FOLLOW-UP ON THE QUESTION OF THE
SCREENED OUT IT RAN THE RISK OF BEING UNDERMINED AS A POSITIVE
MODEL FOR THE REGION.
(F) HOCKE NOTED THAT GIVEN ITS HUMANITARIAN MANDATE UNHCR WOULD ALWAYS BE RESERVED ABOUT ANY SOLUTION THAT INVOLVED THE ELEMENT
OF DETERENCE (EVEN HUMANE DETERENCE).
(G) UNHCR WAS NOT ABLE TO ACCEPT THE TERMS OF THE WARNING
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