TNAG-1794-FCO40-2554-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-refugees-repatriation--including-Opera-1988 — Page 288

CONFIDENTIAL

FM FCO

TO IMMEDIATE LISBON

TELNO 96

OF 271526Z JUN 88

CONFIDENTIAL

HKD 243/8

FOLLOWING TELEGRAM NOW REPEATED

TO YOU AT REQUEST OF HKD

WAS SENT TO THE HAGUE TELNO 143 OF 23/6

INFO ROUTINE HONG KONG, HANOI

INFO SAVING UKMIS GENEVA, EC POSTS, PEKING

когра

176505

MDHOAN 9164

N2816

Mr Foryman

No 28%

YOUR TELNO 240: VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE: CHANGE OF POLICY

1.

PARA 2 OF TUR: WE DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE THE DIFFICULTIES OF

PERSUADING VIETNAM TO ACCEPT THE RETURN OF NON-REFUGEES. BUT

THERE IS A GROWING INTERNATIONAL CONSENSUS THAT THIS IS A KEY

ELEMENT IN DEALING WITH THE PROBLEM. WE HAVE DISCUSSED THE ISSUE WITH THE MAJOR RESETTLEMENT COUNTRIES, UNHCR, THE COUNTRIES OF FIRST ASYLUM AND OTHER COUNTRIES WHICH HAVE RESETTLED BOAT PEOPLE

FROM HONG KONG. WE HAVE ALSO RAISED THE QUESTION WITH VIETNAM DIRECTLY, IN HANOI, NEW YORK (SECRETARY OF STATE/VIETNAMESE FOREIGN MINISTER NGUYEN CO THACH) AND LONDON. UNHCR HAS OPENED A

DIALOGUE WITH VIETNAM ON THE QUESTION. MANY COUNTRIES TOOK THE

OPPORTUNITY OF A VIETNAMESE DELEGATION'S VISIT TO GENEVA IN MAY

TO DISCUSS ODP TO PRESS THIS POINT. AND THERE ARE SIGNS THAT

ASEAN IS PREPARING TO PRESS THE VIETNAMESE AS WELL. THE VIETNAMESE RESPONSE HAS NOT BEEN IMMEDIATELY ENCOURAGING, BUT THEY HAVE INDICATED A WILLINGNESS TO DISCUSS THE MATTER.

2.

PARA 3 OF TUR: IT IS NOW GENERALLY ACCEPTED THAT

RESETTLEMENT CAN ACT AS A PULL FACTOR. BUT YOU MAY WISH TO POINT

OUT TO VAN DER HEIJDEN THAT AFTER THE INTRODUCTION OF THE NEW

POLICY IN HONG KONG ONLY THOSE ARRIVALS WHO MET

INTERNATIONALLY ACCEPTED CRITERIA FOR REFUGEE STATUS WILL HAVE

ACCESS TO RESETTLEMENT. THE VERY GREAT MAJORITY OF ARRIVALS WILL BE SCREENED OUT AS NON REFUGEES, WHOSE MOTIVATION IS PURELY ECONOMIC (IE IN SEARCH OF A BETTER LIFE). THEY WILL BE

DETAINED AS ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS PENDING THEIR EVENTUAL

REPATRIATION TO VIETNAM. WE HAVE MADE GREAT EFFORTS TO ENSURE THAT THIS BLEAK MESSAGE REACHES VIETNAM. WE HOPE THAT IN THIS WAY THE DETERRENT EFFECT OF THE NEW POLICY WILL BE VERY GREAT, THEREBY NEUTRALISING ANY QUOTE PULL FACTOR UNQUOTE INHERENT IN CONTINUING RESETTLEMENT OF THOSE WITH REFUGEE STATUS.

1

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